


Poetic Lies

by Basilintime



Category: Pacific Rim
Genre: Bookstore AU, F/F, F/M, Fictional Town, Fluff, M/M, and park ranger au, and sex, but mainly just fluff, coffee shop AU, fire fighting, likely some angst somewhere, messing with their ages a bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 07:53:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3167243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basilintime/pseuds/Basilintime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermann has found that life in academia isn't what he pictured when he was a young child advancing through school at a quick pace and dreaming of the universe. Tendo convinces Hermann to move to a new town to open a bookstore cafe after he's denied tenure for the second time in his life despite being well accomplished. There Hermann finds that living a simpler life without academia isn't so bad and that there are things wonderful things to be found even in small towns. </p>
<p>Newton's a park ranger who is likely too smart for his own good with numerous degrees in forestry, veterinary sciences and biology thanks to his early start at universities at a young age. After drifting for a few years uncertain what he wanted to do he discovered that life as a park ranger allowed him a certain freedom other careers lacked. When a new bookshop opens up in the empty store front that the locals joke about being cursed since Hannibal Chau lost it due to some shady activities Newton bets it will be closed within months. Little does he realize he'll quickly hope the place is there to stay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two Roads Diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by

**Author's Note:**

> Intro chapter to cover the basics!
> 
> Chapter Title is from Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken".

            “So what do you think?” Tendo turned to face him as he held his arms out in front of the empty store. It stood with wide windows covered with a sheen of dust as the space loomed behind it disappearing into a darkness that revealed the depth of the place.

            “What on earth for?” Hermann asked as he stepped closer to peer in through the haze. People passed them along the street talking and eating candy from a shop they had passed a few moments ago smelling of caramel and taffy. It was their annual trip where Tendo showed up and dragged Hermann to wherever he wished between terms despite Hermann’s protests that he had to prepare his lectures for the next semester. This time he had whisked him away to a small mountain town called Pacific Meadows that sat near one of the national forests.

            “For a store or a café, my man.” Hermann pulled back from the glass to give Tendo a surprised look. “Come on, Hermann, we’ve talked about it practically since we met. You seem more and more miserable each time I see you and if it’s true that you’re getting blocked for tenure, no thanks to your father, you’ll be starting all over again in a year. And I don’t really see any long term opportunities for me running the ferry all day, brother, and this place is great. I’ve been up here a few times and it has that small town charm.” Hermann stared at Tendo for several seconds before looking back at the store.

            “That’s a preposterous plan, Tendo, even if it was remotely feasible my father wouldn’t allow me to abandon my academic career. I am not entirely certain I would even wish to abandon my pursuits; I chose to study mathematics and physics because I enjoy the sciences,” Hermann said as he peered critically into the empty space. He thought he could make out a staircase in the back that led up to the second story.

            “You enjoy them, yes, but you hate the academic life and you can’t lie to me about that. And, you’re in your thirties, Hermann, I don’t think your father can make decisions for you anymore if you don’t let him.” Tendo leaned back against the building’s wooden exterior beside him. “You can’t imagine the skies here at night. There’s even an observatory just outside of town. It’s run by volunteers; you could spend time there and even still give volunteer guest lectures. You can still have your intellectual pursuits but without all the mess and you wouldn’t be under your father’s thumb anymore.” Hermann scoffed lightly as he started down the sidewalk again and Tendo gave a low groan as he followed behind him. “Just think about it, my man.”

            “I am. What sort of store are you proposing? The space is much too large for a simple coffee shop,” Hermann said as he chose to ignore the small celebratory fist pump Tendo gave beside him. It was tempting though it was far from practical and despite Tendo’s insistence that he could still pursue some interest in his maths and sciences Hermann understood he’d be losing resources and influence. He could still pursue them but only as hobbies which was much different than taking the path of a career. The man was correct, however, in his determination of how miserable Hermann felt in his current career path. He had been warned by the chair of his department that he likely would not be getting tenure and the man had admitted fully it was not through a lack of ability on Hermann’s part. He was considered an excellent instructor and had published consistently but the political nature of things played heavily into the decision.

            “That’s why I’m thinking a café inside a bookstore. I’ve been up here a few times and they have some touristy shops with books in them but not an actual bookstore. We’d have little competition and we’d be offering food and pastries on top of that,” Tendo said with a smile as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He winked at a couple as they passed by which left the man looking confused and the woman blushing.

            “Please stop with the flirtations. I did not come on holiday with you just to be your body guard against jealous partners. And, I believe you are forgetting the internet as our competition. Likely there is little need for a bookstore in a town like this and those who have an interest probably order online,” Hermann said stiffly though he could picture the shadow of tome filled shelves lining the walls of the dark space they were moving further away from as they spoke. If it was what he imagined from the short glimpse inside it would look rather impressive with plush chairs to sit and read amongst the stacks; hidden corners where one could disappear into a story.

            “You’re being a bit judgmental, Hermann, you forget I know people and there’s plenty of demand for a good bookstore. And, yeah, so the internet exists but you can’t go sit and have a cup of coffee while perusing a book you’re thinking of buying,” Tendo said with a winning smile that no longer fazed Hermann though there had been a time it would have given him a warm twist in his gut. Instead he gave Tendo a look of skepticism as he avoided a group of children whose parents were failing to provide any form of supervision as they ambled down the street.

            “It has every reason to fail. Neither of us have owned a business before and we would be placing everything we have into getting the store up and running. If it ended up not being a lucrative endeavor we would be broke and without a place to return to. The university would likely not take me back though I’m sure you could return to the ferry if you wished since they have far fewer requirements for employment,” Hermann said stiffly as Tendo gave the family a dirty look on his behalf. Hermann felt slightly abashed for the dig as Tendo raised an eyebrow at him. It was his way of calling Hermann out for being rude without actually voicing the opinion. “I simply mean that the university may already be planning to dismiss me after next year. If I chose to step out of the academic life it will be all the more difficult to try for tenure somewhere else.”

            “Would you even want to go through all that again, my man?” Hermann sighed and allowed his silence to be his answer. He had already tried at one university and failed to get tenure though that had been due to his young age and inexperience. He had dived in without seeing just what he should have been focusing on. It would not be the case this time, however, as he had studiously researched the guidelines for tenure when he started his new position at a school his father had not agreed with. Tendo draped his arm around Hermann’s shoulders reassuringly as he gave a shake of his head.

            “We’d figure it out. I’ve thought about this for way longer than you seem to think Hermann. Besides, you’re good at math so I’m sure you could figure out the financial aspects, I’m good with people so I can handle the business dealings, together we’d be an unstoppable force who could potentially end up with nothing but could also be free and clear to run our own place somewhere gorgeous,” Tendo got distracted on the last word as he passed a woman who looked far more like a local than the other ninety-five percent of the current population. She gave him a winning smile in return before disappearing down some side street and leaving Tendo craning his neck to try and watch her. Hermann hid an amused smile as he tapped his friend on the back of the calf with his cane to get him moving again. “Here, how about a deal my man? I won’t bring it up again the entire trip, we’ll enjoy the town and you can meet the Beckett brothers I’ve told you about. You, in turn, think about it. Even after we leave, think about it? Deal?”

            “Very well, however,” Hermann couldn’t quite believe he was paying any mind to Tendo’s ludicrous proposal but there was a certain appealing quality to it that caused a warmth in his chest when he dwelled on the prospect, “I may wish to get a better look at the space which you’ve chosen to pin this fantasy of yours on. Would it be possible to set up an opportunity to see inside?” Tendo gave him a grin that did manage to cause a bit of a flutter in Hermann’s chest this time simply because of how overjoyed his friend looked. Tendo didn’t hate his work on the ferry and had stated several times he rather enjoyed it, but after his grandfather had passed Tendo had seemed a bit adrift much like the boats that meandered through the bay. This was one of the rare times that the man had seemed genuinely happy over the past year.

            “Of course, brother, I’ll call the realtor and set up a time.”

 

            A week later they were standing in the dust-filled space of the store front with a woman who smiled a little too much and had commented several times about what a nice place the store was when they’d only been there a few minutes. Tendo’s friends, the Beckett brothers, were with them though they both were hanging back near the front doors. They had warned Tendo about the store being cursed and that none of the shops during the last several years had lasted more than six months in the store front.  Hermann could tell that Tendo’s confidence had taken a blow when they’d first said this as the man was deeply superstitious when it came to things. That fear seemed to have disappeared the moment they stepped inside though as Tendo wandered around with Hermann close to his side.

            Hermann had been correct in his assessment that the space extended back a decent ways. It would be plenty of room for a café nestled in the center while the bookstore could spread out around it though it wouldn’t be one of those looming great stores where everything seemed to spread out and the books appeared endless. The high slanted ceilings above gave it an open feel but once the place was filled it would be an intimate place with tight spaces brimming with novels. There was a staircase that lead upwards, not to a full second story as Hermann had first thought, but a wide balcony of sorts that left the middle open where one could look down over the railing to the bottom floor. Near the base of the stairs was a small service elevator that led up as well though it was currently marked as out of service.  

            “The previous store that was here did some heavy redecorating to make sure everything was up to code. The service elevator there does work and it passed an inspection at the beginning of last year but it would need a new one before it could be used.” The woman smiled anxiously at them both and Hermann frowned as he looked around. The room itself seemed to hold no overt flaws though its decorating would need to be updated and they would have to explore what the cost of a working coffee bar would be to set up. He hoped that Tendo had thought about those details if he was truly serious about this nonsense as Hermann tried to mentally calculate. They may manage between them if they were able to get a loan for enough to cover some of the renovations to help ease the burden. He hadn’t dared to ask about the price of the building quite yet as he felt that might give too much hope where there was none. Taking a rough guess into account though they’d be placing themselves into quite a lot of debt just to get started.

            “It’s great, isn’t Hermann? We’d have to rework some things to get the place set up right but it’d be doable. There’s a small living space up above back above the storage space too. We might be able to squeeze us both up there until at least one of us is able to find a place though Yancy said I could crash with him if it’s not enough room. We could replace the display cases up there with proper bookshelves, have the counter to check out over here while the café is centered in the middle,” Tendo said as though he could see it in place already. Hermann was suspected this was not Tendo’s first time in the store with the amount of detail he was already putting into it. When Hermann continued to look skeptical he turned to the brothers. “What do you guys think?”

            “It’s a great place, Tendo, but like I’ve said, the last few places haven’t last long here. It’s sort of a joke in town about how soon the next store will go out of business,” Yancy said with a wince as though he didn’t want to disappoint his friend. He was the elder of the two and he had proven to be relaxed and easy going with a sort of charm that Hermann would almost call ‘Southern’ if it wasn’t for the apparent northwestern accent the two boys shared.

            “Now, to be fair, the last store that was in here was an all year Christmas shop that just couldn’t manage it. Before that is was a souvenir shop and those are hard to get started since there’s already so many. Now, the man who ran the place before that was here for a long time before he got in some, uh, trouble for fraud or something like that. He’s a strange one; still lives here too. He made this place into some sort of rare oddities store that had a lot of animal parts and furs. There were things in jars everywhere; I think people just found it disturbing. He is a very unusual man.”

            “An unusual man you went on a date with, Marjory,” said the younger Beckett, Raleigh. He was a bit cockier and full of himself than his brother though there was still a friendly warmth in him that made it easy to forgive.

            “I will admit I don’t know what came over me going out with a man named Hannibal. He just seemed so…dangerous,” Marjory the realtor said with a sigh before she perked up with another too bright smile. Hermann felt as though he had just learned far too much about Marjory’s type within a span of the last few seconds. “Now, would you boys like to see the small apartment upstairs? It’s just absolutely charming.”

            “That would be great, Marjory,” Tendo said with a grin that made the older woman blush. She led them to the staircase while talking the entire way about all the great little improvements they could make and what a wonderful spot this was situated right on the end of main street where all the tourist shops were located.  

            The stairs weren’t terribly steep though perhaps a bit narrow in an attempt to save space. They at least felt sturdy, which was more than could be said for the step ladder he used at the university while working out equations on the chalkboards. If this would be a regular thing it would be best for the service elevator to be in working order. It would be preferable in either case as Hermann would want all sections of the bookstore to be accessible to everyone.

            Hermann stopped his train of thought there because he absolutely was _not_ actually considering any of this. He was, at most, humoring Tendo for the duration of the trip. Marjory stopped at a door that was tucked back away with an employee’s only sign on it and took a second to unlock it.

            “Now, to access the apartment from inside the store we’ll be going in through the office but there is a door on the back of the building that’s a private entrance to the residence itself.” Hermann glanced around the office space as they stepped through it. It was empty and bare at the moment but large enough it could house a filing cabinet and desk for their use. Tendo stepped up into the apartment first with Hermann trailing behind a few steps as he mentally chastised himself. He paused once he was inside the small space that seemed to have once been meant as an extra storage to go with the storage space that was now below them that Marjory had told them about when they’d first arrived. It had been fully renovated at some point, however, and was now a small studio apartment. It would definitely be too small for both of them to share.

            The ceilings slanted down above them here as well though the difference were the skylights spaced out along its short length giving glimpses of the blue sky outside. There was a small kitchen space on the left that was open to the rest of the apartment where one could manage a small living space and then a bedroom area. A large round window looked out the back of the building down to the street below. There was a walled off section near the back that Hermann guessed would be the bathroom and perhaps a closet.

            “Ok, so I would be crashing with Yancy until I found something else,” Tendo said thoughtfully as he wandered further into the singular room. Hermann made a noncommittal sounds as he did his best to not give any sign that he might have been picturing himself here with his minimal personal belongings filling up its spaces. It was still a completely unreasonable suggestion.

 

            Three months after their holiday had ended Hermann found himself denied tenure and informed that at the end of the next year he would once more be out of a job. This was followed by an argument with his father who had called solely to express his disappointment in Hermann for failing to navigate social cues once more. The man all but admitted that he'd given a bad referral for him which should not have surprised Hermann as much it did. The decision to use his father as a referral had been highly debated, but in the end he had chosen to include him on the list. The man had a well established reputation within the sciences and he’d been pushing for Hermann to get tenure at his current job. It hadn’t seemed unreasonable to believe he’d help with that goal until now as Hermann hung up on Lars midsentence.  

            He spent the night feeling sick and depressed as he wallowed in self-loathing and pity. This hadn't been what he'd pictured when he had gone into school very young and eager to learn. He had imagined hours spent exploring the world through mathematics and physics; making new discoveries that would reveal more of the universe to him. There were times when this had proven true but he hadn’t expected the pressure and judgment. The long hours put into something only to be told it wasn’t enough just as his father had always claimed.

            Some of the things he had pictured in his youth had been unrealistic seeing as he’d advanced at an early age when daydreams and imagination had still run wild despite his father’s best attempts to tie him down to earth. Still, he had wanted more than this. The constant disappointment, belittlement at the hands of his father and the twofaced politics that seemed to rule his academic life.  

            In the morning he discovered that a decision had been made at some point in the night that frightened him but felt right in the way it settled amongst his bones and sinew. He called Tendo as soon as it was an appropriate hour to do so and told him that if he allowed him to finish out the fall term and if the vacant shop was still open he would join him in the new endeavor. Tendo immediately wanted to meet for celebratory drinks that evening and Hermann reluctantly complied before setting out on his day feel stranger lighter while completely unraveled in waves.

            By the time they got together Tendo had already called Marjory and expressed their intention to buy. The price surprised Hermann as it was lower than he would have expected a store with the apparent square footage and a small living space to go for but apparently the previous owners were eager to sell as foreclosure was looming ever closer for them. That perhaps only served to increase Hermann's anxiety even more but it was already done by then. They would settle on a floor plan within the next month so that Tendo could move ahead of him to start work once the paperwork was finalized. When Hermann followed after the holidays it should only be a matter of completing the decor and the orders which would be a new experience for them both. 

            As they went over the smaller details Hermann found that Tendo really had put more thought into his plan than he'd first imagined. He already had made a connection for the coffee though any sort of pastries were still up in the air. He was willing to help Hermann find a good wholesale for ordering the selection of books that would be needed to line the shelves and also made the suggestion of opening the store up to used books as another, perhaps cheaper, resource. They agreed they'd start modestly and add more shelving as it became apparent there was a need. The space for now would be open with room for the cafe customers and a few places tucked around for people to sit and enjoy the books. Hermann put in his resignation notice at the university after taking a long weekend to sign off on the purchase alongside Tendo. The head of his department reminded him that he had a position until the end of the summer term if he wished but Hermann no longer saw any reason to extend his stay.

            For the next two weeks he stoutly refused to answer all phone calls from his father who left angry and disbelieving messages. His siblings also called and though he knew they would be more supportive than their father he avoided those calls with a sense of dread as well. It was only once his sister left a message threatening to show up on his doorstep to inflict physical harm that he finally answered and confirmed that he was indeed leaving academia.

 

            Dietrich had come to help him move despite Hermann’s insistence that he could manage. His elder brother had shown up on his doorstep a few mornings before Hermann was supposed to leave with a wide grin, a warm hug and a bottle of cognac that Hermann greatly appreciated. When Dietrich asked him how he was feeling he couldn’t help but answer that he was quite honestly terrified.

            According to Tendo, and the assortment of photographs he’d been sending every week since he’d left, things were moving forward at an excellent pace. Hermann couldn’t shake that ill feeling that he’d made a mistake though and he confided that truth in Dietrich as they sat in what would soon be his old apartment from his old life. Dietrich was supportive and reassuring as he always was. Being the oldest out of the four siblings he’d always taken it upon himself to be the counter to Lars’ pessimistic and harsh attitude.

            When the day finally came Dietrich did most of the actual loading of Hermann’s things into the rental truck. He’d insisted that Hermann not waste the expense of movers when he was perfectly capable. He had perhaps overestimated himself when it came to some of the furniture and it was luck that one of Hermann’s neighbors was gracious enough to lend a hand. It rained as they drove; a cold freezing rain that froze in spots on the road and made things a bit treacherous until they moved away from the coast and into the forest at last. Still, they made good time and it wasn’t long before Hermann was settled into the small space at the back of the store that now had running water, electricity and an elevator that had passed inspection thanks to Tendo’s hard work. They would be ready in time to open partway into the spring when tourist season first started.

            “Bruder.” Hermann came out of his train of thought as he sat on the couch in what was now his new apartment. Dietrich was offering him a glass filled with what was left of the amber colored liquor that they hadn’t finished the previous days before the move. When Hermann finally took it from him Dietrich sat down and leaned back into the couch as he looked around. “It is a nice place. Small but good.”

            “Yes. Once we know that the store will last I’ll likely look for a more permanent place but for now this should do.” Hermann took a gulp of the cognac and let it warm his core as he felt it move down through him. His nerves had only been eased slightly by the progress he saw in the store when he arrived. The Becket brothers had been helping a great deal and had even been present today to help them haul his items up through the elevator and back into the living quarters. The bar was almost finished; there had been some issues with figuring out permits and they had ended up having to hire a plumber to get it hooked up but that was all past now.

            “It is always scary making a change like this, Hermann, but I think it will be good for you,” Dietrich said as he watched Hermann drink. “Give it time, bruder, and do not let what Lars may say upset you.”

            “I have not talked to him since I made this decision,” Hermann said with a sigh though he could imagine well enough what his father’s opinion would be had he listened to any of the voicemails that had been left or read the emails that had been sent. Hermann couldn’t have that man’s criticisms further damaging his confidence as he was doing well enough at that task on his own. Dietrich gave a soft laugh as he clapped Hermann on the shoulder.

            “Good. Continue to do that. Does he even know where you are? It has felt like he’s been trying to pry that out of me but I’ve not told him.”

            “No, as far as I know the only information he has is that I’m not returning to academia and that I am moving to start a new endeavor. If at all possible I would like to leave it that way. I…If mother was still alive things would be different.”

            “I know...” A quiet passed between the two brothers before Dietrich shifted the conversation. “Now, I will take the couch. We should get some rest since it sounds like there will be plenty of work to do tomorrow.” Dietrich drank the last of his cognac as he sat forward and waited on Hermann to do the same before setting the glasses aside on the small coffee table. Hermann would lie in his bed that night staring up through the skylight to the stars outside as his brother snored quietly on the couch and for the first time in a long while he’d feel some peace settle over him amongst the questions and concerns in his mind.

 

            The next few months would pass in a blur as spring began to settle and the store took shape around him. Orders of books began to arrive and Hermann spent quiet days lining the shelves as the finishing touches were put into place. He was attempting to decide where he wished to put what would be a small section of science books that he hoped to build upon as the store began to make money when they heard the front door open. Tendo was downstairs doing his best to get the registers placed and bolted down before they would both work on ensuring the network was functioning properly.

            His coiffed head popped up from behind the café’s counter as Hermann made his way to the railing to look down at their visitors. They were an imposing couple that Hermann had seen several times outside the shop since the name had gone up in lilting letters. _Poetic Lies_. Tendo had taken what Hermann had meant as a joke and ran with it months back. Hermann had been mildly horrified at first though now they both referred to the rather pretentious name with a fond sort of humor. The man and woman stood just inside the store looking around critically as Tendo shot Hermann an apologetic look for leaving the door unlocked once more.

            “Hey, sorry to say this, but we’re not really open yet,” Tendo said as he moved out from amongst the bar to greet the two. Hermann started down the stairs carefully as the blond woman studied him though the man’s focus seemed to be on sizing Tendo up. Hermann had a mild moment of panic at the thought of small town goons set on keeping new businesses in line.

            “We know, we came to talk. I am Sasha and this is my husband, Aleksis. You are opening a café, yes?” The woman was the one to talk in a short clipped manner as she looked now at Tendo. She had a thick Russian accent as she spoke with arms crossed over her chest. Tendo gave her one of his winning smiles and there was just a flicker of an amused quirk to her lips before her gaze returned to steal.

            “Uh, yeah. Café and bookstore as the sign says out front. Well, I’m Tendo and this is my business partner Hermann. What can we do for you?” Hermann came to stand just behind Tendo as he squared his shoulders and gave the two a skeptical look. Hermann had nestled himself inside the store for the most part during the last few months with the cold weather outside and the sheer amount of work he needed to get done as it was. Still, if memory served from when he had first noticed them loitering them out front Tendo had described them as the ‘intimidatingly hot’ couple that ran a shop a little ways down the street from them.

            “Do you plan to sell pastries in this café?” It was the woman who spoke again as the man had reverted to looking around the shop with a soft frown. Both his hair and beard were a frosty blond as well though it was more obvious on him that it had been bleached to the color from a far darker shade. He met Hermann’s eyes for a moment and there was more intelligence and warmth than he’d expected.

            “We’re hoping too…I’m not really a baker myself and neither is Hermann here so we’ve been shopping around a bit,” Tendo said while he managed to sound at ease though Hermann wasn’t entirely certain how while the woman was still stared him down with an icy glare.

            “You may not know but we run the cupcake shop down the street. We have no competition unless you wish to count the overpriced shit that the Starbucks sells down on other end of Main Street. We could see you as competition to be squashed out,” the woman said as she raised an eyebrow which managed to make Tendo’s smile falter just a little. “However, we instead see business opportunity. Aleksis has wished to expand selection but we are well establish as cupcake shop. We would be willing to help your little shop by being supplier for pastries.”

            “You wish to be our supplier?” Hermann spoke before he even realized and his tone sounded far more incredulous than was polite. The woman’s lips most definitely turned up into an amused smirk this time as she focused on him and Hermann felt his face flush. Tendo perhaps had been correct about his summation of the couple as the large man broke in a smile.

            “Da. Unless you prefer to be competition? Then, it can be fair game,” the woman said with a shrug and the man gave a soft laugh.

            “You must forgive my wife. She enjoys making jokes. Our space is not large enough to expand into more than simple shop. We could perhaps manage more pastries but the cupcakes sell good. This would be opportunity for us to sell wider variety without changing current setup of our own store.” The man finally spoke up himself as he leaned down to press an affectionate kiss on the top of his wife’s head. She smiled coyly at him and gave a light purr that didn’t seem entirely appropriate.

            “Would this be an agreeable arrangement? We will of course need to work out details but that can be solved at more appropriate time. We simply wished to make the offer.”

            “That sounds amazing actually.” Tendo smiled as he glanced back at Hermann for confirmation. It did sound rather amazing though Hermann had yet to try a sample of the man’s baking to know its quality. Still, it would perhaps prove more lucrative than attempting to get pastries shipped in from elsewhere and they’d be fresh. He nodded his head slightly in approval and Tendo gave him a relieved smile. “Look, why don’t you two write up a menu of pastries you’d be able to make and bring it over to us. Give us an idea of what you can supply and we can make suggestion if there’s anything else we think we’d need.”

            “We’ll need a work up of what the cost would be as well so we have an idea of what you would charge us perhaps with a breakdown of what the charges would be covering. We will, of course, want to ensure this is a profitable arrangement for all parties,” Hermann said a little stiffly. The woman gave him a keen sort of look before she smiled at him, a full and honest smile that was just as bright as her husband’s had been if not sharper.

            “I can bring you such a list early next week. We can discuss business then perhaps with some of your coffee I saw delivered the other day. It will be nice to see if what you plan to serve is better than the piss water we all must deal with currently.” Sasha offered her hand out to him as she seemed to decide he was the one in charge. Hermann shifted his weight carefully with his cane as he leaned forward to shake on the agreement.

            “Good, things are settled. Please, feel free to come down to sample cupcakes at any time,” Aleksis said happily as he took Hermann’s hand right after his wife let it go. His grip was strong but careful as he gave Hermann another smile before they both shook hands with Tendo. “You have done good things with this place. Let us hope that the curse is broken, yes?” Tendo gave a weak laugh as the two of them left and then turned to look at Hermann as he toyed with the prayer beads that currently hung from his belt to keep them out of the way while he worked.

            “Well, that went well. See, I told you this was a great plan, brother. Nothing can stop us, right?” Tendo sounded slightly like he was trying to convince himself and Hermann rolled his eyes before starting back up the stairs to return to shelving.

            “Curses do not exist, Mr. Choi.”

 

            “Did you all see that they finally put the name up on the shop?” Caitlin set the pitcher of beer down in the center of the table before sliding in next to Sergio. Newton gave a laugh as Chuck grabbed the pitcher first to pour himself a glass before he passed it off so Newt could do the same. They were sitting in one of the bar relishing the last bit of time they had before the tourists would really pack in. It was still quiet in town and would be for another week or so though it was obvious that with the weather warming up people were starting to show.

            “Ah, yeah, you mean ‘Poetic Lies’? God, how pretentious can you get with that bullshit? Do we even know what they’re going to be selling for the five months they’re in business?” Newton scoffed as he filled his glass up and Sergio took the pitcher from him next so he could top off Caitlin and him.

            “Is that your official guess for how long they’ll be up for?” Sergio said with a pointed look. “It’s your last night so we better place bets now on how long they’ll manage to survive Chau’s curse in case they’re gone before you even get back.” Chuck rolled his eyes at them all as he took a sip.

            “You are all ridiculous with that shit. There isn’t a curse on that store, it’s just a shit location mate.” Caitlin gave an exaggerated shake of her head as she leaned forward in her chair so she could reach to ruffle Chuck’s hair which earned her a proudly displayed middle finger in return.

            “You say that each time yet you still place bets on how quickly they’ll fall. Now, come on. I’ve put my money on eight months. I’ll give them a little longer than the Christmas store,” Caitlin said with a grin as she nudged Sergio to get him to cough up his guess.

            “Hmm, I will say perhaps six months like before. That seems to be the average time before they realize that they are not making any money.” Sergio slipped his arm around Caitlin as they all looked at Newton now who debated. Really, it was a super pretentious sounding name though he hadn’t really looked too close to see just what they were selling yet. Maybe it’d be an art store or something like that. They had one of those that sold overpriced pieces carved from wood and paintings of sunrises on bark.

            “I’m going to shoot for the shortest stay we’ve had in the Chau Mystery Shop, four months!” Newton raised his glass before he downed his beer as the others laughed.

            “I’m thinking they’re going to stay.” Newton swallowed his mouthful hard when Chuck spoke up and got incredulous looks from the rest of them. He shrugged taking a sip of his beer while glancing around the bar that was full tonight but only of locals.

            “You know something,” Sergio said with an accusatory look and Newton leaned over to take Chuck’s glass away from him. Chuck complained and curses him out as he tried to take it back but Newton scrambled out of his chair to hide behind Caitlin.

            “Out with it, Hansen,” Katie said as she raised an arm as though she was shielding Newton from the man. “All bets are finalized so out with it.”

            “It’s going to be a bookstore with a coffee shop. One of the owners is friends with the Beckets and I overheard them talking about it at the fire station, all right? Now can I have my fucking beer back, mate?” Newton reached around to hand the drink over to Chuck with a light huff. “They’re apparently making some big changes inside but they’re not going to cater just to the tourists. They want to be a legit bookstore.”

            “Huh, that might actually be kind of nice. Well, I guess we’ll find out if a pretentious bookstore with a café is the key to breaking Chau’s curse,” Caitlin said as she raised their glasses. They all cheered each other before taking a drink and then Caitlin’s focus landed on Newton again. “So Rapunzel, you ready for the next three months up in your tower?” She’d given him the nickname years ago when he first started taking detail in the fire watchtowers.

            “Head out tomorrow morning, so I better be,” Newton said, frowning in concentration as he grabbed the pitcher again to try and refill his glass once more with what was left. Chuck nudged him purposefully with his elbow which made Newton spill the beer over his hand and he gave the man a narrow eyed look of warning.

            “Which means you still haven’t packed and you’re going to be doing so drunk when you get home tonight,” Chuck said with a cheeky grin as Sergio made a complaint about wasting the alcohol. “I better not have to drive supplies all the way out there for you again this month, mate. You already owe me for last time.”

            “I’m sure supplies was the only reason you drove up there, Hansen,” Sergio said with a roll of his eyes as he stole the pitcher of beer away from Newton before he could make more of a mess. Chuck gave a snort of amusement as Caitlin laughed, leaning to kiss Sergio’s cheek as the two settled against each other once more.

            “You know what? Ha at both of you, I am actually packed ahead of time for once in my life. So there, I win,” Newton said defensively and he got skeptical looks from around the entire table. “Dude, I am capable of being an adult. ‘Sides, it wasn’t much fun being up there without anything but oatmeal to eat and no toiletries. Your mouth starts getting this weird fuzzy caterpillar feeling after you’ve not been able to brush your teeth for like a week plus.”

            “Why just oatmeal again?” Caitlin asked before she took a long sip of her beer, a hand straying to toy with the hairs on the back of Sergio’s head.

            “I think he said his logic was that he’d try to live off the land so he had to hike less up to the tower. There was something about snares and berries,” Chuck answered for him with a smirk.

            “That was the logic behind it, yes. In my defense I wasn’t thinking clearly when I packed thanks to you three getting me hammered the night before just like you’re doing now. Technically it was your fault that happened. Peer pressure to drink followed by a hung over morning where I failed to check my packs before I left. So, it’s all your faults not mine,” Newton said triumphantly as he gave them each a pointed look.

            “You have this amazing ability to push blame onto other people, don’t you Newt?” Sergio said with an incredulous look and a shake of his head.

            “It is one of my highest ranking abilities, yes. Right up there with charisma and intelligence.” Newton gave Sergio a quick wink as he pushed up his sleeves as it felt like it was getting a bit warm in the bar. Granted that might have been the alcohol or the close proximity of people in the place. They went through a few more rounds of drinks as they talked about the upcoming season. Sergio and Chuck were the two to call it a night first as they’d stopped drinking at some point being the ‘responsible ones’ who had ‘limits’.

            “Ok, Geiszler, there’s one other bit of business to take care of before you leave” Sergio and Chuck both gave a groan of complaint as Katie tried to hush them before continuing. “Before you disappear from our lives for months I’ve got a new one for you. Fuck, Marry, Kill; Nikola Tesla, Charles Darwin and Dmitri Mendeleev.”

            “Do you know why they play this game?” Sergio asked Chuck from across the table with a pained expression on his face.

            “Not a clue, mate, just like I have no idea why they always seem to choose old dead men as the options.” Caitlin and Newton both chose to ignore them as she gave him an expectant look.

            “Um, well, there’s really no competition with Tesla. That man was a gorgeous fox so he’d definitely be the fuck,” Newton said without thought though the other two gave him pause. “For the kill option; can it be after they’ve already managed their greatest achievement in life so we’re not losing their valuable research. I mean, I’m either screwing the entire history of evolution or the development of the periodic table.”

            “Nope, has to be before. Most damage done to the scientific community,” Caitlin said with a strict shake of her head. “And, agreed. Tesla was a handsome devil.” Newton and Caitlin fist bumped over the table as Sergio gave a laugh.

            “Ok, ok fine. Then I’ll marry Charles Darwin, the guy gets a lot of hate even to this day so I could give him some good stability and support while I’m doing Tesla on the side. I’ll kill Mendeleev because there were others progressing towards the development of the periodic table and any man who says the entire first draft came to him ‘in a dream’ is questionable anyway.” Newton winced lightly at the decision though Caitlin gave a small nod of approval at his logic behind it. They played a few more rounds back and forth as they tried to make their last beers last while Sergio and Chuck bemoaned the selection given. 

            By the time they stumbled out of the bar the place had cleared out other than a few final call stragglers. The mountain air outside was a bit cool with the late hour as they walked down the street together laughing amongst the closed shops and restaurants.

            “All right. Rapunzel, make sure you keep in touch. Radio in to let us know that you’re not dying of boredom up there. And you, don’t let him talk you into driving up there again no matter how blue his balls may be,” Caitlin said as they stopped on the corner where they’d part ways to head home. “Most friends aren’t willing to go that far to give a friend a hand.” Sergio gave a soft laugh into Caitlin’s shoulder as she leaned back against him while talking.

            “Don’t worry, Katie girl, already told him he has to handle that on his own this trip,” Chuck said as he gave her his exaggerated point and wink as he half held Newton up.

            “Yeah, while I’m gone he’s gonna make his moves on Raaahleigh anyway and if that goes well I’ll have to get use to taking care on my own forever,” Newton said with a slight slur in his voice. Caitlin gave Chuck a wide grin as the man smacked Newton gently on the back of the head.

            “Thought you hated that guy, man?” Sergio said with a confused frown as he pressed a kiss against the side of Caitlin’s hair.

            “Oh, Serg, with Chuck there’s a very fine line between hate and desire,” Caitlin said with a giggle before she turned to push him gently down the road. “We need to get home. We have work to do in the morning at the house. Seriously, keep in touch Geiszler. Don’t make us come out there!”

            “Yeah, yeah. I got it,” Newton called after her as Chuck started to herd him down the other street. They walked down to where they had left their cars. Chuck would drive, which wasn’t an unusual occurrence since Newton couldn’t handle even a couple of drinks without being drunk, while the younger man typically never progressed passed his limits. As they walked they passed the closed shops and one caught Newton’s eye enough that he pulled to a stop to stare in through the dark windows. He couldn’t see much inside the soon to be bookstore though he could tell enough from the dark shapes that there had been changes. Chuck had continued ahead of him a few steps until he realized that Newton wasn’t budging and he walked back to look in the window beside him.  

            “You really think this one’s gonna last?” Newton felt the world tilt and he leaned heavily on Chuck as the man gave a soft laugh. Newton closed his eyes for a moment as Chuck put an arm around him to hold him up and a chaste kiss was pressed into his hair in an affectionate manner.

            “Eh, why not mate? It’s gotta happen someday.” Newton let himself be led away from the store with a tired yawn though he glanced back a couple more times.

            Chuck would stay the night to avoid driving up the hill to his own house. Chuck went through and checked Newton’s supplies himself as the man talked his ear off about things he couldn’t remember in the morning. They ended up falling asleep on the couch and when the alarm on his cell went off Newton found himself regretting those last few drinks. Chuck grumbled in irritation as Newton scrambled to get up off of him and the man drove him back to his own car so he could head out.

 

            Hermann had made a habit of checking on the store in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep. Some of the anxiety was wearing down as the place took shape though he wouldn’t truly be able to rest easy until there was money coming in. They had been doing all right just with what they both had in savings to cover the bills, but the store would be opening in a couple more weeks and they needed it to start bringing in some money quickly to help stretch. He was standing in the store now with the lights off and the dark spaces now lined with shelves with a working coffee bar settled in the middle looming silent around him.

            Movement caught his eye near the front and Hermann stood frozen still back in the shadows as he saw a man peer in through the window. It was hard to see him well though Hermann could make out a dark thick mess of hair and the gleam of glasses as the stranger leaned forward to press his face close to the glass. Hermann watched as another man joined him, placing an arm around him for a few moments as they both stood and looked in. Hermann felt ridiculously like they could see him as his eyes lingered on the shorter man who had first caught his attention; heart beating quickly for some reason. When the two men walked away with arms around each other and affectionate laughter managing to leak its way into the store Hermann let out a relieved breath. For some reason the image of the man would stick in his mind though even once he’d gone to bed.

            A shadowed face and a light hearted laugh.  

 

            It would only be two weeks after he’d settled into the tower that Chuck would call him cursing the name of Raleigh Becket. Newton wouldn’t even be able to get Chuck to tell him just what the man had done before the phone call had ended with Chuck slightly calmer but no less bitter. It would take the next phone conversation for Newton to find out that it hadn’t been something Raleigh himself had technically done though the details were still sketchy. Newt tried to call a little more often then but it was hard with reception on his cell being unreliable and the radio intended for work use.

            It would be the second month when Newton would spot smoke on the horizon and call it in. He’d listen tensely to the radio while they worked to contain what ended up being a fire accidentally started by a camper in the backwoods. Each time the team Chuck worked with called in he’d breathe a small relief. Caitlin called frequently to keep him up to date in case he had to evacuate and after a long two weeks the fire was contained.

            The rest of the time dragged on as he watched the horizon during the days, read the biology and environmental journals he’d dragged up with him or made notes about wildlife that passed through the area. Sergio dropped by with some supplies to help repair a damage radio antenna near the beginning of the third month and sat for a while with him. He filled him in on some of the news back home including more details on why Chuck was so bitter towards both the Becket brothers though Raleigh had gotten the brunt of it. Herc had passed Chuck up for a promotion that he’d been in line to receive for a good year now in favor of giving the Becket brothers both a higher position.

            The father and son were fairly notorious for the fights that occurred between them as it was but apparently the following blow up had been bad even for them. Chuck had transferred up to the firehouse on the north end of town a few weeks back officially leaving his father’s station. Serg said that Chuck had cooled down some since then but that it would be good when Newton got back since he always managed to talk sense into the hot tempered redhead. Tourist season was in full swing so things had been a bit hectic down in the main areas of the park as it always was.

            “You’ve almost lost by the way,” Sergio said as he got ready to leave.

            “How so?”

            “Bookstore is still open. They’re actually doing pretty well and not just with the tourists. Chuck may win this one.” For some reason as Newton spent his last month keeping his eyes on the horizon during the day and staring up at the sky watching for falling stars at night thoughts of the store with the pretentious name stayed in the back of his thoughts.  

 


	2. There is joy in the woods just now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meetings for some and fresh hurts for others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the poem "Joy in the Woods" by Claude McKay which can be found online here: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/joy-woods
> 
> Sorry this one is way later than I had hoped. School was kicking my ass but I am free for the summer now so hopefully things will update a little quicker for a couple of months.

            The first time Hermann saw him the man was standing in the science section upstairs. Hermann had been shelving a few books that had come in on their latest order when he’d stopped to skim the back of a book before he put it away. He’d found himself settling into the more leisurely days rather nicely and had even found time to read for the sheer pleasure of it again. With that had come the realization of how many new books had passed him by without noticing as he worked on teaching plans and research projects. He gone to put the book away when the man caught his eye and had him freezing momentarily in his tracks.

            Hermann hadn’t seen him before but he also lacked the appearance of one of the tourists who were typically easy to pick out. The customer instead had the more worn comfortable appearance of most of the people in town; a plaid shirt with his sleeves rolled up to reveal colorful tattoos and scuffed and worn jeans over his work boots. He looked a little like a miniature lumberjack considering his short stature and the beard he was sporting as well. Hermann hadn’t realized the extent of his staring until someone called out a name behind him and the man turned only to meet Hermann’s eyes for a flickering second. A smile lit up the man’s face as he gave Hermann a wink that had him feeling a rise of heat that started in his chest and worked its way up along his neck and into his ears.

            Hermann shoved the book into place on the shelf as the man started past him to meet whoever had called out his name. Hermann had to take a few seconds to mutter quiet curses at himself as he pushed the car back between some of the shelves. Once he’d managed to calm from the embarrassment of being caught he’d be able to recall the name that had been called out moments before.

            The man was apparently named Newton.

 

            Tendo, as always, knew that something was up the moment Hermann came back down into the main lobby of the shop once he’d finished shelving the remaining few books. The man never did miss a thing and he gave Hermann a narrow eyed look as he approached the café bar. The café was what was really keeping them going however books were beginning to move off the shelves at a steadier rate. The first month Hermann had spent awake all hours worrying over the state of the store but they’d reached that point they were making money over simply paying off the cost of operations each day.

            “What’s up, brother?” Tendo had been cleaning the steam wands after handing a blonde woman her drink. He set aside the wash rag to lean over the counter towards Hermann with a raised eyebrow. The woman had paused to look Hermann over as well and he realized he recognized her from a few other visits to the café. She typically came in with a man Hermann suspected was her significant other and he gave her a small smile in an attempt to be polite. She smiled back at him, warm and friendly, before moving to join a group at a nearby table. Hermann almost did a double take when he realized the man named, ridiculously, Newton was sitting with the group and their eyes met once more.

            Hermann managed a smile this time though it felt tense on his face. He wasn’t one to typically get flustered in these situations but he also usually managed not to get caught staring outright at a stranger. He turned back to Tendo now with the hope that his embarrassment wasn’t showing as terribly as he felt it must be. Tendo’s concern had turned into a smirk as he continued to lean over the counter towards Hermann. Tendo would at least be hidden from view by the espresso machine. Hermann was tempted to take shelter as well but he stood tall instead. He refused to act like a juvenile hiding from a crush.

            “Hermann, maybe you should take it easy for a moment. You’re all flushed like you over did it up there,” Tendo said innocently though his look was full of suggestion. Curse the man and his ability to pick up on every detail. “You could sit down over there. I’m sure there’s a table open probably real close to Caitlyn and her friends.” It wasn’t hard to guess that Tendo was talking about the blonde woman. That was another thing the man was good at, somehow knowing and remembering every person’s name almost before they were introduced.

            “I am quite all right. I will take a break behind the registers if you will just get me some tea,” Hermann said pointedly though the fact that he kept his voice lowered so not to be overheard ruined the affect somewhat. Tendo just shrugged, his smile widened as he stood and grabbed the tea he knew Hermann enjoyed.

            “The Becket boys and I are going out for dinner tonight. You should come with us, brother. Stop keeping yourself holed up in the shop all the time,” Tendo said as he took his time with the simple process of brewing some tea before adding cream and sugar. This at least wasn’t a new suggestion. Tendo had been trying rather desperately to get Hermann out for the last several weeks. He had apparently reached his quota for time allowed in peace before Tendo expected him to go out and be some social butterfly.

            It wasn’t that Hermann was opposed to socializing, they’d gone out rather frequently before the move but then there’d been familiar spaces that had become second homes over time. Here Hermann still wasn’t settled into his actual home. He enjoyed his space up in the small apartment and had grown fond of it but it still felt like this was some prolonged break from the real world. He was waiting for that shoe to drop where they would realize it was over and he’d have to go back to that life he’d tossed aside with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

            “I…think I will pass for tonight,” Hermann said a bit reluctantly. He felt guilty as he said it and the look that Tendo tossed his way didn’t precisely help. He did fear that the two Beckets would feel as though they were the reason Hermann had been avoiding their dinners and lunches despite the effort he made whenever they showed up in the store. “Perhaps if we plan something for next week with a bit more of an advance warning.”

            “I’m going to hold you to that, Hermann, you can’t keep acting like we’re going to be gone in a few weeks and getting to know people doesn’t matter,” Tendo said pointedly as he set down the cup of tea. “There’s nothing wrong with making new friends. Or, you know, talking to cute nerds with tattoos.” Hermann scoffed lightly as he picked up the tea before Tendo could get any ideas of holding it ransom. He very purposefully didn’t look in the direction of the group’s table as he turned to head towards the registers near the front to sit and relax while waiting on customers.

 

            Hermann had almost forgotten about the run in with the man an hour later as he sat quietly with his long empty cup of tea sitting to his right as he leafed through the pages of one of his journals that had arrived in the mail earlier in the day. He had a small stack upstairs that he had perused as they’d come in but he found there was a small ache that came with reading the discoveries, accomplishments and near misses of others in his field. There was also a sort of relief, however, that he no longer was dealing with submission guidelines and peer review.

            His head snapped up when someone set a small stack of books down on the counter. He sometimes forgot to be as attentive as he should be whilst sitting behind the register and an apology formed on his lips as he glanced over the stack of books before looking at who had set them down. The man from before was standing across from him with a grin and Hermann stared at him blankly for a few seconds before he glanced past him to the café. This was undoubtedly Tendo’s doing and he felt a momentary thread of annoyance though he tried to push it down.

            “Did you find everything you were looking for today?” Hermann asked politely as he started to scan through the books.

            “Everything but a stud,” the man said in a joking tone and Hermann looked up at him once more with eyebrows raised. “Ah ha but who knows maybe next time. You’re the guy that was up stocking the shelves before right? Is it just you and the Elvis guy at the café that run the place? Sorry, my friend calls him Elvis, I didn’t actually catch his name. I’m surprised you guys are still here the last few places that have set up in this space have bombed horribly in the first few months.”

            “His name is Tendo and yes it just us two. And, I can assure you we are doing just fine and have every intent on staying,” Hermann said with a frown. Was the man intending to be insulting? Hermann couldn’t quite tell what to make of the sudden deluge that had come tumbling out at him. He looked back down to the books to continue checking the man out as an awkward silence fell over them. The stack was a mix from a few different sections including a Steven King novel, a comic book that appeared to be about zombies and a couple of books based on biology that Hermann took a second to glance at the back of. One in particular caught his attention as it was about the exploration of the personality of octopi.

            “Did you know that cuttlefish and octopi have the highest brain to body mass ratio of all the invertebrates? They’re actually really fucking smart, like crazy smart though we’ve never really been able to fully test their intelligence levels.” Hermann finished scanning and bagging the books as the man talked. His voice was quite the opposite of deep as he spoke quickly with an excited lilt in his voice that spoke of a passion most didn’t have for invertebrates. Hermann had had a brief affair with marine biology when he was younger though his passion had always been space. He had kept a working knowledge, however, of some of the more unique species as he’d always held the belief that if they were to find life on another planet it would more closely resemble those found in the more hostile environments of their own.

            “It’s a shame we lack the necessary tools to understand their ways of learning and communicating to properly study them. That will be 65.70 please.” Hermann looked up and almost regretted as he found the bright intelligent green eyes staring at him with that same excitement that had come through in his tone of voice. It was almost as though he’d made some declaration of love given the look the man was giving him.

            “No, dude, we totally could understand them if we’d just try to adjust our viewpoint some. We are so focused that other species that interact and learn in different ways must lack the same intellectual prowess that some of the human race exhibits. We could understand them if we actually actively tried to. That’s the major fault in the human species is that we assume anything that doesn’t share our set pattern of learning and expression must be less intelligent than us. We over complicate shit while at the same time having this utter lack of comprehension of the world we live in. We could learn so much if we just allowed ourselves to. If we could somehow get a glimpse into the inner thinking of other species we’d probably have so many answers to shit.”

            Newton had yet to go for his wallet as he spoke, hands gesturing wildly in his enthusiasm that was almost endearing if it wasn’t for the fact that there was now someone else waiting behind him. It was almost familiar to earlier days before Hermann had been scolded and told _not_ to lose himself in his love of his studies when talking to others. _No one would take you seriously if you act like a lunatic while explaining your research, Hermann. Careful restraint is the only way anyone will take someone of your age and…restrictions seriously._

            “Then it is a shame that by pure human nature we will never, at least in our lifetimes, be able to adjust the way that we think of as a whole. It is just the same why we have stopped striving to explore the universe with as much fervor once we reached our own moon. We scratch the surface and we lose focus and attention as a whole which makes the attempts of the few that more difficult to achieve. Now, 65.70 please.” Hermann gave the man a pointed look over the rim of his glasses to emphasis his point that it was time to pay and Newton at the very least began scrambling for his wallet.

            “Well, yeah, but dude we should gather a better understanding of our own planet too. We can’t all be about space when we’re actively working against our own environment and need to make improvements, when there’s species going extinct every day. We need to explore more here before we can even have any hope of understanding or reaching other races out in the universe. Space is amazing and all but we have enough to dig through on our own planet. Man, no wonder you had so many space and math books up there. You’re a total space cadet aren’t you?” The woman waiting behind the current nuisance at his counter was beginning to look impatient though some of Hermann’s focus had slipped back to Newton.

            “I beg your pardon?”

            “Space cadet. Always looking up and reading what little bits you can get your hands on about string theory and multiverse and all that stuff. Amazing sure but there’s just as much mystery and awesome we could learn from our own oceans still. Why don’t you call me the day that we confirm life on another planet? And I mean a little more than some bacteria found under the surface. I want weird and unusual. Something that could at least give the Goblin Shark a run for its money in weirdness levels, dude.” His tone had become a bit mocking now as he handed his credit card over and Hermann felt a twist of irritation as he narrowed his eyes and ran it through the machine.

            “Why don’t you ‘call me’ the day an Einstein-Rosen bridge opens up at the bottom of the ocean? Please sign here,” Hermann said as he set the receipt and a pen down on the counter a little harder than he had intended. Newton looked a bit surprised but signed with a flourish. While the man was focused on that task Hermann glanced at the card in his hand and almost balked at the fact that it listed the owner as _Doctor_ Newton Geiszler.

            “Dude that would be awesome. That would be like the perfect fusion of awesome actually though, sorry to say, you might not be my first phone call if that happened. Ok, maybe top five but I’d need your number first.” Hermann almost didn’t catch the comment amongst his mental assessment of how insulting he may have just been to someone who was apparently an expert in their field. Granted, the man had been just as insulting in return without realizing it either. They were at the least on equal grounds despite the man being completely and utterly incorrect. “Ha, yeah, ok. That was a lame attempt. I’ll just take my books and admit defeat here.”

            “I…I apologize, yes, here are your books and card. Have a good day Dr. Geiszler,” Hermann said as he snapped himself out of his thoughts and realized the man was trying to get ready to leave.

            “No, dude, please. Only my mom calls me doctor, ha, just call me Newt.” Newton gave a shake of his head as he fumbled to get his things gathered up and realized the woman was waiting behind him for the first time with an irritated look on her face. She was most definitely a tourist instead of a local as she tapped her foot lightly on the tile flooring.

            “I’m Dr. Hermann Gottlieb,” he said out of impulse and was at least satisfied to see some surprise and abash cross Dr. Geiszler’s face in return before he gave a short little laugh.

            “One of the ones that like the title, huh? Might want to drop it now that you’re running a book store, _doctor._ ” That touch of good will that had lit up in his chest at the assumption that the other man was realizing his own faux pas was extinguished rather quickly as Hermann scowled.

            “My choice in changing my career does not diminish my achievement made up to this point or erase the fact that I have earned the title. Thank you for your purchase and have a lovely day, _Dr._ Geiszler,” Hermann said shortly before he lifted his eyes to look past the other man to the woman who seemed ready to complain at this point. Newton lingered for a second before he gave a huff of frustration and walked off with Hermann doing his best not to glance after him.

 

            “You get a number then, mate?” Chuck was just outside the door when Newton walked out with his bag of books in hand. He wasn’t really sure how he felt after that whole interaction that had started out as a lame attempt to flirt with the new guy in town and had somehow ended with them both maybe a little pissed. Ok, so he probably shouldn’t have made that dig about the whole running a bookstore now thing when Hermann, _Hermann_ , had introduced himself but it really kind of rubbed Newton the wrong way when people felt the need to make sure everyone around them knew their status. It always had come off as being conceited and full of themselves like they were acting like they were better than everyone else.

            “Don’t know what you’re talking about. I just wanted some books,” Newton said a bit defensively as he walked past his friend and Chuck pushed off the wall of the building to follow him. They were supposed to meet Katie and Serg again later one for dinner but the other two had ran off to run ‘errands’. Newton was a bit dubious as to the legitimate nature of those errands but he hadn’t questioned.

            “Oh, I’m sure,” Chuck said as he clearly didn’t buy Newton’s shit. He slowed his steps a little so that the other could catch up since Chuck wasn’t about to rush after him to do the catching up himself. Once they were side by side as they made their way down the sidewalk towards the parking lot down the street Chuck slung an arm over his shoulders and tugged him close. “Did you even work up the nerves to ask?”

            “I did. He didn’t even acknowledge I said anything and then I may have sort of said something that was maybe just a little bit insulting in an unintentional way. Look, forget about it, forget that guy, he was lame anyways.” Chuck laughed and messed up his hair obnoxiously.

            “You wouldn’t be pouting if you thought he was lame, Newt. Come on, I need to swing by the station and then we take those books you were so eager to get back to your place before we meet back up with the other two.”

            Newton had almost forgotten that Chuck had changed to the fire house on the other side of town until the man reminded him as they drove. They hadn’t really gotten a chance to talk about that yet with him having gotten back just the night before. He’d only seen Chuck for the first time when they’d met up at the bookstore just after he’d first gotten a good look at Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, snooty librarian type extraordinaire. Now it was just him and Chuck making their way to a completely different station than usual, a station that didn’t house Herc or Raleigh.

            “So, ah, hey…you wanna talk about what happened at the station?” Newton had been holding off on asking Chuck about what Sergio had told him until they were alone. Chuck tended to open up to him more than Katie and Serg and it felt like something that needed just the two of them.  Chuck was staring out the window and didn’t answer right away, the muscles in his jaw tightened and released. Newt tried to just sit and wait though he wasn’t as good at the waiting game as Chuck was with him.

            “It was nothing. It’s done and I’m done,” Chuck said after a few moments, too quiet to actually be over the issue. Newt worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he took the final turn towards the outside of town where the station was. They’d be there soon and the conversation would be over and Chuck wasn’t exactly being an open book about it. “Really, it’s fine mate.”

            “Doesn’t really sound fine? I mean, what are you done with? That’s a general statement. And, when you called you were rallied against Raleigh and Yancy but when Sergio came up he said it was something with your father. What are you done with? Are you done with Raleigh cause that hadn’t really even had a chance to actually start? Are you done with your dad cause really, I know Herc is hard on you and kind of an ass in how he approaches things, but still he’s actually a great dad. He cares and he-“

            “Newt.” He snapped his mouth shut at the warning tone in his friend’s voice and shot him an apologetic look. “I don’t know with Rals yet, wasn’t really his fault I just…it’s hard not to blame someone you’re constantly compared to. I’m done with my old man though. Look, let’s talk about this later mate. But really, before you start worrying yourself about it know that it’s fine.”

            “Ok,” Newt said feeling far from convinced of that fact. They were pulling into the fire station though and they couldn’t really just sit barricaded in the car without it being a little weird. The place seemed relatively quiet but the crew would be just inside somewhere for the dayshift. One of them walked out as they pulled up, Mako’s hair pulled halfheartedly back from her face. That was something good about the whole things, Chuck still had family here. Herc and Stacker, who was Mako’s dad, had met through the firehouse and had hitched and adopted each other’s kids when they were younger.

            “Hello Newt, you are looking rather ridiculous,” Mako said with a light teasing smile as they both climbed out of the car. She approached Chuck first to give him a cuff on the shoulder that passed as affection between the two siblings. Chuck cuffed her lightly back though there was a hint of a smile before Mako turned to Newt to give him a hug.

            “You are looking as intimidatingly hot as always, Maks,” Newt said jokingly and she narrowed her eyes at him in a way that emphasized the intimidating part of that. For someone who was so short and petite in appearance Mako could probably take down just about anyone in town, even possibly the Kaidonovsky’s who were the most frighteningly attractive pair that existed. He reached to tug gently at an end of her hair that had slipped free to frame her face with its dark blue strands. “When did you do this?”

            “A few weeks ago. The chief decided it was subtle enough to keep,” she said as she turned for them to follow Chuck in through the station doors. He’d already disappeared somewhere into the back while Mako and Newt paused to examine the water truck. “Has he talked with you?”

            “Not yet. Tried in the car on the way here but he just said it was fine and he’s done,” Newt dropped his voice near the end to somewhat mock Chuck’s tone. Mako huffed lightly as she rested a hip against the truck. “You know what happened? Like, precisely cause all I know is he’s pissed at you guys’ dad and that he’s not exactly happy with the Beckets either.”

            “I know what was said. It is like it always has been though things were taken a bit…further this time. Father wasn’t happy with Herc afterwards though Chuck said things he shouldn’t have as well. Stacker has said not to try and interfere, it will be up to them to mend things when the time is right but Chuck will not even speak with me about it.”

            “And Raleigh?” Newt glanced back to make sure they were still on their own and that Chuck hadn’t come back out yet but he was nowhere to be seen yet. He leaned beside Mako on the truck then with a frown. Mako and Raleigh were good friends, honestly best friends really. If Raleigh wasn’t with Yancy he was with Mako.

            “He told me what they heard which was basically everything. Chuck has avoided him more than usual since though,” Mako said with a light shake of her head which made more of her hair fall loose. “He is worried. They had been…making progress before that, no leaps and bounds, but it was still progress. That has been wiped away now. I am doing my best not to get in the middle of things and respect that it is their choice for them all but I do not like my family being at such odds.”

            “Hey, it will get better. Herc and Chuck pull their heads of their asses eventually.” He nudged Mako’s shoulder with his own and she gave him a small smile as she pushed back gently. “Now, how are you doing Ms. Mori? We need to take a night to go have some drinks. Maybe we can hit up open mic night again.”

            “I believe you were banned from open mic night last time we went for ‘overly enthusiastic displays’?” Mako grinned at him as Newt gave her an offended look.

            “Excuse me, that was just a two month ban and only because that lady had brought her kids with her. I am a main attraction at open mic night at the Wei’s so there’s no way they’d ban me for long.”

            “It is a wonder they are not begging for you to return. Cheung and Hu are both here now, if they see you are here they may just drop to their knees and plead for you to return,” Mako sassed at him with wide eyes and an innocent stare. “I should go grab them that way they can sing your praises. Dr. Rockstar must play again.”

            “Don’t you dare Mako Mori, I swear to god,” Newt said with a laugh as he caught her arm as she started back towards the living quarters. His luck ran out at that moment though as Chuck reappeared with two of the triplets in tow. Their eyes lit up as they saw him and Newton tried to duck behind Mako.

            “Doctor Rockstar!”

            “You grace us with your presence at last! We have missed you at Crimson. There has been a lack of stripping on our stage these last several months.” Mako’s shoulders were shaking with silent laughter as Newt looked out from around her.

            “Hey! It was just the shirt, that’s hardly stripping,” he said indignantly as Chuck walked past them as he rolled his eyes at them all. “And I’d like to remind you all that _you_ came up with that nickname. _I_ would have preferred something cooler and more unique.”

            “Newton thinks it may be time for him to return to the stage,” Mako said coyly and Hu grinned at him as he tossed his arm over Newton’s shoulders.

            “Come on, Newt!” Chuck called back for him as Cheung draped himself on Newton’s other side. At least they started to walk with him towards the door of the station.

            “Oh, I agree. We need a boost to business.”

            “I don’t know if that will actually boost business, Cheung, besides I don’t think Jin would agree. That woman gave him a good piece of her mind after last time.”

            “Yes, but she was a tourist. She likely wouldn’t return even if she was in town again.”

            “Wow, you guys are great for the self-esteem. You make it sound like I scarred people,” Newton said sarcastically as Chuck stood next to car waiting on him with an amused look as he finally was freed from between the two brothers as they let him continue on his way.

            “Aw, not scarred. Perhaps ruined a little as anyone who was present will never be able to look at another with the same level of awe you have inspired.”

            “None of us were ready for your jelly, Doctor Rockstar.”

            “Ah ha ha ha ha, guys,” Newton said as he flipped the brothers off. Mako ducked between the Wei’s to join them at the car as Chuck and Newton climbed in. She leaned into the window to peck Newt’s cheek before looking over to her brother.

            “It would be nice if we could do dinner soon,” Mako said across to Chuck who gave a short but tense nod.

            “Yeah, it’d be nice to spend some time with you and Stacker,” Chuck said pointedly and Mako rolled her eyes before tapping the side of the truck. “Let’s talk about it on Friday. We should both be on shift that night.”

            “All right, I will see you then.” Newt gave Mako a little wave before backing away from the station so they could head out back to his place.

 

            They had a few hours to kill when they got back to Newton’s place so they’d popped in an old Godzilla movie as background noise. Newton stole a few seconds to put his new books away with a bit of regret. Maybe he should try again. Or that could be a horrible idea that would end up making the whole thing seem even worse. Still, he should probably at least maybe make a better impression in general since he kind of liked the bookstore and it’d be really lame if he couldn’t go there just because he’d put his foot in his mouth once.

            “Here mate.” Chuck came up behind him and handed him the coke he’d pulled from the fridge. “You going to stare at them all day like he’ll pop out of one if you wait long enough?” Newton huffed as he turned away from the bookshelf. He wasn’t staring that long. Chuck set his own pop down on the coffee table before lying down on the couch so he was on his stomach. Newt gave him a look for taking up all the space and then just laid down on top of him so they were back to back.

            They laid like that as they watched the movie for a while play out across the screen though they’d both watched it enough to have it memorized at this point. Newton lets his mind drift first to the bookstore again as he felt himself settle on going back and attempting to not be an ass before he started to dwell on everything going on with the man he was currently using as a couch. He wanted to ask Chuck again but that would be like poking a bear with a stick if he kept pushing when his friend wasn’t ready to talk yet.

            “You think I’m a good person?” He felt Chuck’s voice as the man spoke and he frowned at the television as he took in the question. He tried to tilt his head back to get a good look at Chuck’s face but couldn’t with their current position.

            “Yeah, dude, of course. Why wouldn’t I?” Newt rolled onto his stomach so he could get a good look at Chuck’s face and rested his chin on the man’s shoulder blade. Chuck continued to watch the television though there was an obvious tension running through him. Newton understood why Chuck was asking and it didn’t make him happy. Herc and Chuck both said a lot of hurtful things to each other when they argued. Herc wasn’t really a bad guy; he pushed too hard and didn’t typically tell Chuck what his reasons for things or feelings were. Chuck was basically a duplicate of that but with the added bonus of less temper control. There was always a reason but neither of them would actually talk about it and then they’d throw some barb at the other and things would get cold between them for a while.

            “The old man apparently doesn’t feel that way so that’s when I told him we were done. Done working in the same firehouse and done being father and son. If he feels like the Beckets are so much better than he can have them. I don’t need any of them.” Newton stared at Chuck for a few seconds because that was a lie if there ever was one; no matter how much they fought both of the Hansens cared quite a damn lot about the other. He turned his head so he could rest his cheek against Chuck’s back and listened to the man’s breathes. He knew well enough that he couldn’t really push Chuck to talk to his father again. It would happen eventually on its own when one or the other broke under the weight of the silence between them. Unfortunately both Herc and Chuck had a far greater tolerance for that quiet than Newton did.

            “You’re a good person, Chuck.” He shifted some so he could worm his way up so he could press a quick kiss to Chuck’s jaw.

            “Thanks mate.”

 

            By the end of the day Hermann had been exhausted. Hanging the closed sign up had seemed like a relief and he hoped to push everything aside that had occurred that afternoon. Tendo still wouldn’t drop the subject of what had happened with the infuriating little man though. He had been harassing Hermann about it every chance he got the rest of the day and now he finally had him pinned down as they counted out and tallied the registers for the day.

            Instead of focusing though Tendo had assaulted him with questions until Hermann had relented and explained the entire situation to him. There was something in the look Tendo gave him when he told him how the man had antagonized him about stating his title that gave Hermann the impression that his friend knew more than he was saying. Tendo just shook his head at him sadly and told him he should apologize the next time the man came in.

            Hermann continued to dwell on it himself the next day as he helped Tendo go over the order forms for the café in the morning. He glanced towards the door each time it opened with some expectation that it would be Newt though he had no idea why the man would return. It apparently wasn’t as inconspicuous as he’d hoped since after the fourth time Tendo gave a soft snicker of laughter when Hermann’s head lifted at the sound of the door opening.

            “You’d have a better chance of seeing him again if you’d just go out once in a while.” It was a common argument from Tendo and though it was technically the true that Hermann would see and meet more people if he did more than stop at the grocers he’d yet to relent to his friend’s requests. There was enough to do currently with the shop to make sure they continued to do well and that they’d manage to make it through the winter that was approaching much faster than seemed possible. Business would drop off then as the tourist would leave and the snow would fall.

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he responded stiffly to his friend who just chuckled again. Apparently the disappointment of the night before had faded for Tendo enough that he now found the entire situation humorous. “Just what do you find so funny?”

            “Sorry, my man, I just haven’t seen you this hung up on someone in a long time,” Tendo said with a smile that seemed a bit more like a wince. “I know you two started off on the wrong foot but you can’t tell me you didn’t feel a little something.”

            “I felt a deep and utter loathing,” Hermann said with a soft snort. Tendo rolled his eyes as he set a cup of tea down on the counter in front of him. Hermann was leaning against it since his hip was aching; his cane was close by for if he had to give up the support. He wasn’t used to being on his feet as frequently as he was with the store considering he’d been able to sit if needed while he taught. By the end of each week his leg ached from his hip to his knee with a light throb of complaint. That had perhaps been the only reason Tendo had yet to truly drag him out to be social since he could tell that Hermann was hurting.

            “There’s a fine line between loathing and loving sometimes, brother. You never know maybe he’s perfect for you.” Hermann gave Tendo a flat stare from over the rim of his glasses though his attention was pulled away by the door opening again and Tendo breaking out in laughter. Hermann frowned as he finished signing off on the order form they’d put together and slid it back across the countertop for Tendo to finish on his own.

            “I hardly think that someone like that would be anything but a headache for me.”

            “Suit yourself, brother,” Tendo said as though it was little bother to him despite the hint of disappointment in his expression. Hermann tried to go find something else to do that would help pass the time of the day while he stayed close to the front registers in case anyone chose to actually purchase a book. The café was by far their best business so far though there had been a steady increase in book sales over time. There was also an almost constant presence of those who would come in to sit and read in a corner which should have bothered Hermann but it really didn’t. He remembered day he’d passed sitting in some private section of a bookstore or library reading a book he’d picked off the shelves. Money had been a bit tighter for him then since his father offered little support and he’d been faring for himself.

            They had yet to get overwhelmingly busy though there’d be a few times at the café where Hermann had to take over the register for Tendo to bartender to keep customers from getting impatient. He would say they were doing decent business though the winter months when the tourists stopped loomed intimidatingly ahead of them. The last thing Hermann wanted was for them to fail in those quiet months and he’d have to admit defeat which would be much to his father’s joy.

            By early afternoon he had stopped glancing up every time the door opened. Hermann knew he was being foolish and despite the fact that Tendo had been rather accurate with his observations earlier he needed to push down any trailing regret over the encounter with Newt. Had there been any chance for reciprocate curiosity he’d likely wiped it out with his defensive comments. The shop was quiet at the moment so he had taken the opportunity to sit behind the front counter as he sketched out an equation for the minimum amount of business they would need to pull to survive the colder months. It wouldn’t be accurate, not without having all the factors in front of him for costs, but those he remembered he could tie down until later.

            “Your heating will be bitch in the winter,” a woman’s voice said as a book was set down on the counter. Hermann recognized the accent immediately and smiled as he looked up into the face of one of their pastry shop comrades.

            “Sasha, I would have expected you to be at the shop.” When Sasha returned a smile it was like being given a small treasure. The intimidating woman softened with the expression and there was a feeling that you were the only person in the world at that moment who mattered. Alexys and her both had quickly become friends in Hermann’s mind and were an endless source of advice on the business.

            “Tendo was running low on the Danish and they are very popular. I told Alexys I would bring them, I hoped to find new book to read while I was here.” She tapped the cover of the book that she’d placed on the counter and Hermann tilted his head to look at it. _Final Watch_ was written out across the bottom of the blue cover depicting a bird in flight. “Well, new in a sense. It is good series. I own them all in the original Russian already but I enjoy reading the translation. It is like the same but different.”

            “Perhaps I should give them a chance if you view them so highly,” Hermann said with a smile as he picked up the book to scan it for her. He typed in a discount without a word though he knew Sasha noticed the decrease in price. “The pastries you bring us help increase our business; it is the least I can do for your help.”

            “That is bad business practice,” she said with a raised eyebrow though there was a quirk to her lips. “I will say thank you though. I trust things are going well, yes? Mr. Choi says that you are not making friends?” Hermann sighed as he sent a scathing look towards the café though he couldn’t see Tendo just at the moment.

            “I am getting along just fine. I had one unpleasant encounter but otherwise everyone has been very pleasant. Tendo just feels that I should be getting out more while I prefer to settle in first.” He accepted the card that Sasha handed to him to pay and slide it through the reader as he spoke. Tendo was simply worried and he understood that but it was still frustrating. Hermann had always taken some time to wander out into his surrounding at a new locale. He would start small first before expanding outward the rest of the area; it was just taking longer this time than it had previous moves. It may have had something to do with the hurt that still lingered over his failed tenure, the fear this would end horribly and that his father would be proven correct.

            “Ah, I see. If it would make you more comfortable you could both come to dinner with Alexys and I sometime. We are people you already know, yes?” Hermann hesitated as Sasha gave him an expectant look. He couldn’t really turn the offer down and he truly did enjoy Sasha and Alexys’ company. It would perhaps not be so terrible to try somewhere new with his friends.

            “That would be wonderful. Perhaps we can find a time midweek when neither of us are as busy as the weekend,” Hermann said and Sasha rewarded him with one of those smiles again. The impression that either of the Russians were intimidating on their first meeting had been, well, it was still an utterly correct impression but they were far friendlier than Hermann would have guessed at first.

            “Good, it is a date then. Now, who was this unpleasant encounter? A tourist I am guessing. If you need us to teach someone their manners, Hermann, you just let me know,” Sasha said as she leaned her hip against the counter and looked out at the shop. Hermann rested his elbow on the counter as he leaned forward some, contemplating the sort of terror that Sasha could inflict.

            “That won’t be necessary,” he said after a few seconds relishing the thought. “And, my understanding is the man is a local.”

            “Oh,” Sasha glanced at him, red lips pressed together as she waited for an elaboration. If anything it seemed as though the perpetrator being a resident of the town made it a greater offense. Hermann perhaps shouldn’t tell her who though there was always the chance that she didn’t know who Newton was either way.

            “It was a man named Dr. Newton Geiszler. We had a bit of a…misunderstanding. To be quite honest I was not all that pleasant either in it,” he said after a few moments and a bit of understanding came to Sasha’s face.

            “Ah, the little park ranger. Newt is a nice enough man but very loud and opinionated. He is a bit…odd but he always makes amends. He will likely do so unless you were truly fierce towards him.” Sasha gave a little shrug of her shoulders. Hermann glanced towards the door for a second as though the man may appear just then with an apology that Hermann may not entirely deserve. He mentally cursed himself for it when he realized he’d done it. He shouldn’t care, he _didn’t_ care is that man who was practically a stranger came in the store again or not. “What started this misunderstanding?” Sasha sounded a bit coy as she spoke and when Hermann looked at her she had a small smirk on his lips. He straightened up again with a small disapproving frown.

            “He found it off putting that I introduced myself with my title; something which is completely appropriate for me to do,” Hermann said as he straightened the bag with Sasha’s book in it where it currently laid on the countertop between them.

            “Strange since he has the same title. Perhaps there was another thing that made his blood boil?” Sasha’s lips quirked into a smirk and Hermann got the suspicion that Tendo had been doing more talking than originally thought. Sasha had tilted her head to watch him and that smirk on her lips seemed just a touch larger.

            “As I said I played a part in the disagreement, however, I was in the right to defend myself and my title. Whether he also has a doctorate or not plays very little part in the general discussion and does not give him any more license to mock me over using my proper title.” Sasha’s smirk had by now turned into a grin as she turned to face him once more and picked up the bag with her purchase inside.

            “It would seem your blood boils quite hotly as well,” she said before lifting her hand to take Hermann gently by the chin as she leaned close. “I must go but we will figure out our dinner date, yes? And if the park ranger gives you more trouble you let us know. He is scared of Alexys and I so it will be amusing.”

            “I will be sure to keep that in mind, Mrs. Kaidonovsky,” Hermann said feeling rather fond towards her. Sasha gave him a wink before she pulled away and gave a wave in the direction of the café where Tendo was standing near the espresso machine.

 

            The evenings had become his favorite time in the shop. They stayed open later than most of the other shops that were focused on the tourists so it became a quiet time when only the locals would filter in after their days were wrapping up. Hermann had started to make a habit of sitting in the café during these last few hours and either working on balancing their accounts or simply taking some time to read. Since they had just submitted an order he was adding the expenses into his ledger quickly to ensure there was no danger of being overdrawn. After that he hoped to take some time to start reading the first book of the series that Sasha had been picking up earlier in the day. He had a copy sitting close by, _Night Watch_ scrawled across the cover that had that silhouette of a pigeon over a hazy red background.

            Tendo was cleaning up behind the café bar with some band playing quietly on the radio while their few customers milled about or sat and talked. The bell at the door rang again but Hermann had given up his futile watch once more after it became clear that ‘the little park ranger’ had no intention of coming to apologize or otherwise. Hermann wanted to not care, still couldn’t quite pin down why he did care considering he really knew nothing of the man, but it had managed to leave a hollow of disappointment in his chest. He would have trouble sleeping that night once more if he didn’t somehow manage to wipe it away.

            “Tendo, do you have some of that chamomile tea?” Hermann looked up to find where his friend was as Tendo looked around the espresso machine at him, one curl of hair having come loose from his pompadour at some point over the day. He had at least stopped mentioning Newt in his own apparent resignation after Sasha had left though he’d given Hermann some of his infuriatingly knowing looks.

            “Yeah, brother. Two honeys and some cream?”

            “Yes please, if you don’t mind,” Hermann said as he rubbed at his temple and looked back down at their ledger. He sighed as he closed it, the listing of numbers seeming to give him no satisfaction for once as he tugged the book over to him and inspected the cover as the sound of a steam wand hissed to life as Tendo must have gotten another customer. The series had sounded like a supernatural thriller or mystery from the small summary listed on the back and he felt a twinge of joy. It’d been a long time since he’d really had time to just sit and read for the fun of it. He’d spent so much time focused on his work before and trying to get the tenure that was denied him that he’d stopped taking time for such small little pleasures.

            He startled a bit when the cup was set down on his table with little to no warning. He looked up with a thank you directed at Tendo already passing his lips when he realized that it wasn’t who he thought. Newt stood in a park ranger’s uniform as he sipped at his own beverage and glanced around the store as though he wasn’t quite able to look at him. Hermann was somewhat thankful for this as he felt a small flush rise in his face as he took in the cut of the uniform over the man’s frame. Tendo was watching them from behind the espresso machine as though Hermann couldn’t clearly see him pretend to wipe down the counter.

            “So I maybe was kind of an ass on accident yesterday which wasn’t my intention but it sort of tends to happen so I thought I’d come by to let you know that I’m sorry or whatever.” The man sounded like a child whose parent had forced him to come apologize when he didn’t to but when Newt met his eyes there was a genuine worry held in the expression as though he was terrified Hermann wouldn’t accept. Part of him wanted to cling to the anger he’d felt the day before but it was difficult while being held by the gaze after a day of wishing for just this sort of thing.

            “I…was rather harsh myself and I should apologize as well. I forget that I am in a different environment than I have been for the previous years where someone questioning your title was intended as an insult.” The worry seemed to melt from Newt’s face into a smile as though Hermann had performed some form of magic trick with his words. Hermann couldn’t help the smile on his own lips in return though he suppressed it into a tight line.

            “Dude, I hated those types when I taught. But haters gonna hate, right? I didn’t mean to hate though. But, ah, yeah I guess that’s sort of just what I wanted to say.” Newton fidgeted nervously and Hermann thought for a second of asking him to sit. “Well, I ah, just got off of work so I kind of want to get out of my Ranger Dan get up here, ha. Um, we’re good though right?”

            “Yes, I suppose we are,” Hermann said as he pushed back the disappointment. He had been waiting for a chance to speak with the man again all day and now that the situation had arisen all there seemed time for was an apology. He supposed it was better than if Newton hadn’t shown up at all and they potentially spent the rest of their time living in the same town with only that first impression.

            “All right, good, cause…it’d be lame if I didn’t feel like I could come in here. I mean, it’s been forever since I lived near an actual bookstore.” Newton smiled, those hands motioning again with the risk of now spilling his drink. He didn’t seem to be leaving yet despite his stated intention as he lingered for a second longer as though he wished to ask something.

            “I suppose, given your clear interest, if there were any books more targeted to biology and the like that I could special order a copy for you,” Hermann said even as he wondered if he’d regret the offer. He had yet to delve into special orders for books and wasn’t certain if there were extra fees since there was no bulk discount.

            “Really? That’d be great dude. I’m totally going to have to bring you a list in when I get a chance,” Newton said excitedly with another bright smile. A phone started to ring nearby and Newton cursed as he dug a cell out of his pocket with a frown. “Ok, sorry, I actually really do have to go. Hey, uh, I’ll see you soon with that list though.” He spoke distractedly as he looked to see who was calling him. Meanwhile, the sound of the phone reminded Hermann of something and he looked for a piece of paper to write on without having to tear a page from their ledger. He finally slipped the cardboard cup holder from around his drink and scribbled a few numbers on it.  

            “Here, if you think of something but are unable to come in to order it you may call me with the information,” Hermann said as he offered Newton the cup holder. Newton stared at it for a second before he took it and examined the number even as his phone kept ringing.

            “Oh, cool, is this the number to the store?”

            “It is actually my personal number,” Hermann said casually. He gave Newton another tight lipped smile as the man looked at him with a bit of surprise. His phone stopped ringing just to start again after a moment had passed and it seemed to break Newton out of his thoughts.

            “Oh, right, cool…awesome, really neat. Uh, shit, ok, yeah I’ll see you or call you with that information.” Newton fumbled with his phone to answer the call as he took a step back and gave Hermann another smile that seemed flustered. “You, you have a good night _Dr._ Gottlieb.”

            “You as well, Dr. Geiszler.” Herman got a bit of a playful glare for that before Newton answered whoever was on the other line and finally walked away. Tendo at least had the common sense to wait until he was out of the store before he started to laugh.

            “Dr. Gottlieb, you smooth devil.”

            “I believe you still have some closing duties to attend to, Mr. Choi,” Hermann said bluntly as he finally took a sip of his tea that had cooled some. He hid a small smile behind the lid of the cup as he opened his book to the first chapter.


	3. To the terrestrial Moon be as a star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tendo and Hermann visit the observatory for a first time and then have an early morning visitor to the store after a busy weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from John Milton's Paradise Lost. 
> 
> I continue the long tradition of sucking at chapter summaries.

            The observatory was far more charming than Hermann had expected it to be. It was Sunday night and they’d closed down the store after a long weekend that was even busier than the rest. They had apparently reached peak season and they’d had people in and out of the store all day. Most of the tourists had passed through once they realized they didn’t cater to souvenirs and printed t-shirts that blasted the name of the town or humorous puns on the front of them. The café had been far more hectic than the store and Hermann had chipped in front time to time in order to keep Tendo’s head above water. By the time they’d chased out the stragglers they were both exhausted and a bit on edge.

            Tendo had suggested the observatory in an off handed manner as something just the two of them might be able to go do after work. There was a late show open for a meteor shower that was due to start in the late evening and go into the early morning. Hermann had agreed without much thought put into it. He’d decided something over the course of his sleepless nights spent staring up at the stars through his skylight or wandering the darkened and empty shop. He wanted to stay; more than anything Hermann wanted to find a place to belong here and that meant he had to open himself up to the place.

            He hadn’t lost that fear that they’d fail and everything would fall apart. It still lived strong in the back of his mind as something that could bring this whole mess crashing down around them. He _wanted_ them to succeed though, wanted to stay and run this shop in a town that was in both parts quiet and bustling. He’d explored so little of it because of his fears and he needed to stop holding his breath for that shoe to drop and throw himself into it completely.

            So they had come to the observatory and managed to get into the doors in time to grab hot chocolates for themselves before they found a placed on the hill to spread out and stare up at the sky. Inside they were allowing small groups to go in and look through the telescope at some preset areas though the line had been a bit long when they’d first gone in so they’d opted to wait and see if things calmed down later.

            “Not heard anything from your fellow doctor still?” They’d not had much chance to talk through the haze of customers and espresso drinks but it hadn’t escaped Tendo’s notice that Hermann had never gotten that call from Dr. Geiszler. Hermann wasn’t surprised exactly, his friend seemed to notice just about everything. It had definitely not managed to slip Hermann’s notice that he’d not once gotten a phone call though he wasn’t certain just what he had expected from that moment’s boldness. There had been an attraction, at least on his end, though even a friend would have been a welcome addition to his days. Tendo paid plenty of attention to him but he had others who wished to share his time here, friends already established.

            “No, though I believe that might be alright.” A meteor shot across their field of vision and they both went silent for a few moments as they watched for more. The peak wasn’t for a while longer but they’d spotted a few of blazing trails shoot across the sky. Hermann could feel it when Tendo turned his head to look at him instead and gave a sigh as he met his friend’s gaze. They were lying on a blanket they’d grabbed last minute from Hermann’s apartment; a few other groups lay nearby talking and laughing in quiet bubbles of life upon the grass. “It is alright, Tendo.”

            “I know, I was just rooting for you. I’m glad you’ve decided to stay though.” Hermann gave a slight roll of his eyes and Tendo stole a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. They shifted a bit closer to each other, sharing warmth as a small breeze picked up over the grassy clearing the observatory sat in. “Do you think you’d be up for that dinner with the Beckets this week?”

            “Yes, though I forgot I had promised Sasha we would also meet Alexys and her for dinner one night this week. I’ll have to check when she wishes to do that so that we can plan for another night.” Hermann frowned softly as he remembered the conversation with their pastry compatriot the week before; the same day that Newton had first stumbled into their store. He needed to catch her in the morning when the pastries were delivered to figure out if there was a night that worked for the Kaidonovsky’s after all.

            “You’re becoming quite the social butterfly, brother,” Tendo said with a joking tone. Another meteor went across the sky, brighter than the previous one, and there was another moment of stillness around them as everyone watched. They laid together, sides pressed together with Tendo’s warmth seeping into him as they watched in a comfortable silence that had built up around their friendship for years. Time slipped around them as the groups quieted as it got later. Some came and went while others stayed fast like them through the peak hours around midnight. “Do you want to go check out the telescope?”

            Tendo spoke quieter than before, voice drenched with sleep from the long days. It would almost be a blessing when the colder months came, when things slowed and they would likely even close a couple of days throughout the week. Hermann closed his eyes for a second to make a silent wish in the back of his mind at one of the burning out pieces of space debris made its final trip through the atmosphere. He wished for the things his mother had once wished for him; comfort and happiness, love and laughter. A place that could be called home after a long string of places that never quite felt right.

            “Hermann, did you fall asleep on me brother?”

            “No, I’m awake. Let’s see what their telescope has to offer and then we can head home. I can drop you off at home on our way if one of the Beckets can drop you back in the morning.” Tendo had left his car at the shop in favor of them riding up here together and Hermann could see no reason for him to have to make the trip back to the shop before driving back to the Becket’s house. Tendo groaned as he sat up and Hermann had to take a bit more time as he realized how stiff he’d grown lying there. Tendo eventually helped him to his feet and they gathered up the blanket and their empty cups to head inside. There were only a couple other groups left out amongst the grass and some lingering huddles of people near the observatory itself as they moved up to where there was a hint of light glowing near the door.

            It seemed almost unbearably bright inside as they stepped through the doors though in truth the lights seemed to have been dimmed specifically so that they wouldn’t ruin everyone’s night vision completely upon walking in. The stand that had been handing out the hot chocolate was closed and there was only one person left inside in their park ranger uniform as she cleaned up.

            “Is it too late to look through the telescope?” Hermann hoped they hadn’t waited too long though he reminded himself that they were _staying_. He’d have other opportunities to come up here and find just what quality the telescope was for being in a somewhat remote area away from the large cities. The woman turned and gave him a smile as she adjusted her cat-eyed glasses on her face. Her hair was tied back with a hand kerchief that gave her a somewhat retro look that didn’t quite fit the park ranger image.

            “Absolutely not. We can sneak up there for a bit before I close things up for the night. You boys in town for the weekend?” Hermann honestly had expected Tendo to swoop in and take over the conversation at this point with that ease and flirtatious nature he shared with each person he met. The man was silent besides him though and Hermann gave him a quick glance before responding himself.

            “No, actually, we moved here a few months back. We run the new bookstore in town,” Hermann said and the woman’s smile widened as she seemed to give Tendo a quick once over.

            “So you’re the new ones in town. Sorry I haven’t been by the shop I’ve been wrapped up in some projects at home and then work is always sort of crazy for us in the summer.” She motioned for them to follow her as she led the way to up a small staircase to a door. She unlocked it again and Hermann felt a moment of worry that they were intruding. “I’ve heard the store is amazing though. I’ll be aching for a good book by winter so you better expect that you’ll see me in there once things calm down. Head on in.” She let Hermann step into the dark room inside and he found a spot to stand inside the door that gave the other two room to join him. The telescope dominated the room and she hit a switch that opened the large doors up top that revealed the night sky to them.

            “I’ll have to hold you to that,” Tendo said as he seemed to finally find his voice again. Their hostess gave a quiet laugh as she approached the telescope, motioning in encouragement for them to come along with her. Hermann raised an eyebrow at Tendo now that the room was slightly more illuminated by the stars and moon and he got a grin in return. “Are you the park’s expert at using the telescope?”

            “Running and repair it, yes. I’m sort of the mechanical expert in our area for things though I can’t claim to be the most knowledgeable about what you’re looking at. I’ve heard that one of you are a bit of an expert on space though from one of our other rangers. I have a feeling that’s probably you,” she said as she gave Hermann a knowing look that seemed rather familiar.

            “Yes, I am…rather familiar,” Hermann said as a he felt a flush of embarrassment both at the attention and the fact that apparently someone had been talking about him. Tendo gave him a light nudge when she turned back towards the telescope to have it focus on one of its preset destination before she motioned for him to take the controls.

            “I’ve told him it wouldn’t be a bad idea for him to volunteer for talk and things here if you have that kind of thing.” While Hermann focused on the telescope Tendo was fully focused on their hostess. It was his typical brand of flirting but Hermann could pick up some nervous undertones that didn’t run under most of his interactions. The ranger seemed to keep up with him with his comments as well as they chatted back and forth as Hermann gazed through. She had brought the telescope in focus on Messier 42 and Hermann felt a tightness in his chest at the familiar sight.

            It was one of the first nebula that he’d ever located through his own telescope when he was younger as the way to it was just below the belt of Orion. It brought back memories of his mother whispering quietly in the backyard to him as she talked him carefully through lining up the sight of his telescope she’d gotten him for Christmas. The two of them bundled up together with hot chocolate while everyone else was inside where it was warm playing with their gifts or already fast asleep in Bastien’s case. _The Orion Nebula is 1,350 light-years away from Earth, Hermann._ She would help direct him to Messier 45 from there and many more nights would be spent outside in the dark nights with hushed conversation of faraway star systems.

            He felt Tendo at his elbow even as the conversation continued near him and Hermann took a second to compose himself as he realized he had tears in his eyes. Tendo stepped in when he moved away from the eyepiece; certain that he looked put together once more. Their hostess gave him a gentle smile that said she’d noticed but wouldn’t comment on his momentary lapse.

            “Allison said that they’d be more than happy to have you give some talks if you’d like, Hermann,” Tendo said helpfully from where he was looking through the telescope. He didn’t lose his composure at the sight though there was a hint of awe in his voice. Tendo had always had an interest in Hermann’s work and space itself though it never crossed from being the general interest that most of the public typically held for the subject. He had on several occasions allowed Hermann to go off on a rant of passion to him, however, and always listened with an attentiveness that was appreciated. Hermann made a mental note of their companion’s name as he’d missed when she’d introduced herself.

            “We don’t get many actual physicist around here. It’d be great to have someone give a few educational talks. Newt can manage incredibly well but he always seems to get sidetracked back onto biology since that’s sort of his deal. Ready for something else? Maybe you could find something.” She motioned towards the telescope as she offered for Hermann to set its sights on their next target.

            “Are you certain that’s all right?” She made a soft dismissive noise as she waved at him.

            “Go ahead. I’m sure you have more experience with it than even I do. Plus, if you break it I’ll just have to force you two to be my assistants while I fix it.” He hesitated for a moment longer as he debated on what he wished to view but then stepped forward to try and remember where to find M31 in the night sky this time of year. The telescope had a computer that helped direct it rather than doing it manually but even without he would have likely found it quickly. “Andromeda’s a good choice.” Hermann decided he rather liked Allison as she gave him a genuine smile as she saw where he’d pointed the instrument. Tendo had quite clearly decided he liked her too if the fact that he was staring at her while he pretended to look through the viewfinder was any indicator.

            “You’ve shown me this one before, haven’t you brother?” Tendo actually looked through the telescope as Allison turned towards him.

            “Yes, I believe I likely have.” Allison let them linger a little longer as they took turns looking through the scope, the ranger making sure she got her opportunity as well. Hermann watched as Tendo and her flirted back and forth with each other, the two of them on par with one another for every comment, compliment or innuendo. By the time they left the observatory so that Allison could finish closing up Tendo practically floated down to the car.

 

            Newton groaned as he laid down on his couch. The weekend had been a hectic one which was typical. It was all hands on deck during the summer weekend when the public flooded into the park. Now he was home though, lying in his living room in the dark enveloped around him. He’d tried to convince someone to go out but Chuck was at the station tonight and Serg and Kate had both just wanted to go home to sleep. He had thought about Mako before he realized she’d be at the station tonight too. He lay there for a bit and let his mind wander as he lazily kicked his shoes off onto the floor.

            At least he’d gotten to work in the education center some this weekend. He loved working in there when the kids would flood in. Sure, there were some obnoxious little brats but most of the ones that made their way over his area wanted to learn. And he’d sit there with them and just talk for as long as their parents let them stay about the different animals, the ecosystem and how it functioned. The topic almost always turned to his tattoos after a while that he kept on display at all times. He’d gotten the tattoos for himself but he had found that kids were fascinated by them. His wrists were the oceans with various animals swimming amongst the waves that turned into tree roots and moved up his arms to the night sky that faded out at his neck. Among it all were animals in a stylized form that he’d point out and talk about their role in nature until the parents would inevitably drag the kid away.

            He sighed in a bit of contentment though more out of pure exhaustion than anything else and finally dragged himself up from the couch to change into his pajamas. He felt around in his pockets to make sure he wasn’t about to wash a dollar bill or something when he pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket. It was worn and folded over and over, once crisp lines now showing a bit of wear and tear. He unfolded it carefully again to look down at the number written there in the middle of his hall.

            He hadn’t called Hermann yet. He had wanted to call him that night he’d given the number to him but had reined himself in. The longer he had waited though the less certain he’d felt that Hermann had meant the gesture of giving his personal number the way Newton had taken it. He’d worried at the slip of paper during his downtime since then and allowed the fact that he’d been so busy and home late each night be a reason not to call. He hadn’t made a list yet because of the heavy weekend and it’d be stupid to call when there was no list. Chuck had told him to pull his head out of his ass the last time they’d talked. Said that Newton just needed to call because even if Hermann hadn’t meant it that way, which apparently Chuck doubted with his entire being, then it wouldn’t hurt to try anyway. _Maybe you could make another friend so you could stop harassing me for once._

            “Asshole.” Newton repeated his response to that comment out loud just then as he carefully folded up the paper once more. He knew Chuck had just been giving him shit, they tended to volley little jibes like that back and forth between them when they felt the other was closing themselves off too much to the other people in their lives. Newton had made his fair share of maybe too harsh comments the last few days as Chuck had closed himself off more and more from his family in his attempt to avoid Herc. That didn’t even take into account the measure the man seemed to be taking to avoid the Beckets.

            He backtracked a couple of steps so he stood next to his bookshelf where his the books he’d bought that first day in the bookstore sat. He tucked the paper in beside them determined that he’d start that list tomorrow. He’d have time if he just focused on it and then he could call without any concerns about how it might come off. He’d just be doing what Hermann had explicitly stated he could at that point and then he could see where things went from there.

            As he got prepared for bed the weight of the weekend settled over him in a heavy haze that left him feeling like that folded up piece of paper. Worn thin, soft edges that had been creased and flattened over and over until they threatened to tear apart. Newton loved people, loved being around them, but he could only handle so much time before it wore him down to where he felt as though he’d ran a marathon somewhere with too little oxygen and not enough room. There was a reason he didn’t mind his yearly sabbatical up to the fire tower, the quiet nights of stars and the lightening of storms rolling over the mountains. It gave him a chance to regain himself before the summer season started again with its long hours and crowds.

            He tossed and turned most of the night with an agitated exhaustion that wouldn’t allow him to really sleep. His thoughts and dreams would drift between reliving the work of the weekend to lists of books too long to ever feasibly request. When four in the morning rolled through he decided it was a lost cause and pulled himself up out of bed. He fumbled in the dark as he searched out his desk and the paper and he sat down to stare at it for a long second as he thought this over. He felt quickly, half the time spent convinced he’d never deliver the thing and the rest of the time with stout conviction that he would. Because he wasn’t sure if picking up the phone was going to be as easy as it should be.

            It was four forty-five by the time he finished with the paper folded up in a matching envelope and he walked out to his car still uncertain of his certainty in doing this. He’d made sure to include Hermann’s title on the outside of the envelope with the hopes of making the best impression one could. He stared at the clock and wished that the shop opened earlier than it really did so he didn’t have the next several hours to chicken out of even making a personal appearance. When it became obvious that time wasn’t going to speed up just for him he stared down at the envelope for a long second before grabbing another sheet of stationary and starting to write once more.

 

            Hermann had slept surprisingly well but he’d still woken up early in the morning before the sun was rising. He knew if he’d just roll over he’d fall back to sleep with the late night and the weekend fatigue to wear him down but instead he pulled himself up out of bed to get ready. He’d developed a routine, one that may not be the most practical to keep forever, but one that he’d hoped to keep through the rest of the summer months.

            He had left the lights off in the shop once he stepped out into it. His fondness of the quiet spaces that loomed around him in the dark had only grown over the months. He would wander down to the café with an already made cup of tea so not to create more work for Tendo when he arrived and he’d sit. Some days he went over the books and order forms while other days he’d sit and read. Everyone once in a while he’d just be, let that silence of the world envelope him as he stared out into the early morning. Today was one of those days, a moment’s reprieve from the noise and hustle that would likely follow later on.

            Tendo usually arrived around six to help receive the pastries for the day and then do a set up before they opened; seven or eight on weekdays and nine during the weekend. Hermann had finished his tea and was enjoying the lightening of the sky by the time the man showed up today. Tendo sat with him for a bit in quiet as he yawned dramatically but the moment Alexys knocked on the front door they both got up to help him in. Sasha and Alexys weren’t far behind and the morning became a burst of friendly chatter and plan making as they finally settled on what night they would have dinner later that week. Wednesdays, right in the middle of the week, were typically the slowest and would allow them both to close up slightly early to sneak off for food and drink.

            “You seem to have an early customer, Hermann.” Sasha spoke with a tone of amusement as she stood near the opening of the café bar so she could hand in full trays while removing the empty. Alexys and Tendo both popped up from where they were stocking the display case (it baffled Hermann how they could both fit behind them given Alexys’ towering stature) and looked towards the front of the shop. “Should we let him in?” Sasha tilted her head to look at him, a smirk on her lips as Hermann frowned from where he sat. He’d been marking off the items as they were stocked and couldn’t currently see past the café bar and its inhabitants to the front of the store.

            “Absolutely not,” Hermann said strictly. They weren’t open for another fifteen minutes at least and the cash registers weren’t even open yet. He’d counted out the drawers but the system required them to log in to work and it was typically the last thing they did in the morning. They didn’t need an impatient customer muddling up their routine.

            “I don’t know, my man, I think we should let this one in,” Tendo said, his tone suspiciously dreamy. Alexys had already squeezed past his wife, a kiss stolen in the seconds this took, and was on his way towards the door.

            “We are not open yet, we should not set a pattern of allowing people inside before the posted hours. They will come to expect special treatment,” Hermann said with a huff as he stood. Unless it was one of the Beckets, who were known to stop by to chat and at times lend a helping hand, they would not be opening the doors. Alexys had already managed to cross the store though and was unlocking the door to whoever it was outside as Sasha gave him a smirk.

            “Oh, ah, h-hi Alexys. I…didn’t expect you to be here. They’re not open yet; I was just going to wait. Totally patient...” The voice sounded nervous and perhaps even more pitched than Hermann remembered as it drifted into the shop. He shot Tendo a look but the man was turned away from him just then so it went unheeded. Hermann craned his neck slightly to peer around the café kiosk to where Newton was being nudged into the shop by Alexys.

            “Nonsense, come. You can keep us company. It is only a few minutes more,” Alexys exclaimed happily and Hermann ducked back as the two started their way. Tendo finally ducked back down to work as they headed towards the kiosk, Sasha handing him a tray to quickly cover their obvious gawking. Hermann couldn’t hear clearly what Alexys and Newton said on their way as he checked off the next tray of items on the inventory list. He hadn’t exactly expected Newton to show up, at least not right at that moment. He would have been better prepared in the middle of the day opposed to first thing in the morning.

            “Really I was only stopping by to drop this off to Hermann.” Hermann could hear Newton now as they came around the side of the café. When Newton saw him the man gave him a nervous, uncertain smile that faltered slightly in a way that reminded Hermann he should seem glad to see him. He was glad to see him in a strange way that Hermann wasn’t entirely certain how to decipher as there was a strain of reluctance in his chest. He’d been hoping for a phone call. A phone call, in this setting, would have seemed like a step towards more than just a service sort of relationship. A friendship even if not perhaps an expansion on that flirtation that had sparked between them.

            “You should sit, Ranger, have a muffin,” Sasha said succulently to Newton as she offered a treat off one of the trays with a smile. Newton flushed and gave a short laugh that came off a bit more like the man had gotten the air knocked out of him. He took the muffin before he finally scurried over to Hermann, taking the chair next to him with some apparent relief.

            “Ah, hey Hermann, Dr. Gottlieb sir.” It was an attempt at humor though it fell a little short as Newton tried to regain his composure. This clearly wasn’t what he had intended this meeting to be like either though Hermann was far from certain just what Newton had planned showing up at the shop first thing in the morning.

            “Dr. Geiszler.” Hermann kept it short as he felt it may be better to bite his tongue for now rather than bring up the list of books and instead let Newton state his purpose. The man’s current purpose seemed to be taking a large bite of the muffin Sasha had passed on to him, a momentary look of ecstasy on his face at the flavor of it. The other three went back to work while ‘not’ listening to what little conversation was occurring. Newton finally managed to swallow and pulled a small envelope from his pocket to slide across the table to Hermann.

            “I was just going to call today but the list ended up being kind of long so I thought that maybe it would be better if I just brought it in. Plus, I’m not always great at the whole phone thing as it. Ah, if you just want to maybe order as you see fit, you don’t have to order them all at once or even really look at it right now. You can look at it later, totally dude, don’t worry it’s not rush on them at all. Ha…” Hermann started to wonder if Newton always spoke in spurts of jumbled information. He had thought it was related to nerves at first but the man seemed relatively calm on the outside or at least at the norm for what he had so far observed.

            “I will look over it and see which are feasible to get in first and I can work through the list over time as you wish. You can let me know when you’re ready for another order or something of the like?” Hermann picked up the envelope and examined it. There must have been more than one sheet of paper inside as it seemed rather thick and he wondered at just how many books Newton had written down. The envelope itself was white with a cartoonish image of a miniature city scape being destroyed by Godzilla across the bottom. It was charming if not a bit childish. He looked back to Newton to find that the man was staring at the envelope as though afraid it might explode.

            “Seriously, look at it when you have more time. I wasn’t planning to distract you from getting ready for the day and it’s…just go through it later when you have time. That way you can figure out what to order first or whatever. Hey, thanks for doing this again, dude, I appreciate it. A lot. It’s hard to get ahold of things up here sometimes with it being kind of secluded so this is great. I should probably get going so you guys can finish up and not have me just loitering around, right?” Newton had realized he was being watched and went off on another deluge of words. Hermann narrowed his eyes slightly as Newton’s own seemed glued to the envelope.

            Hermann wanted to open it just then to discover whether there was something more inside of it then a list of books. The verbal onslaught may be typical for Newton but the way the man was staring at the small packet of paper seemed to indicate there was more to the suggestion that Hermann hold off on reading its content. Hermann turned the list over in his hands a few times before he tucked it unsealed into his breast pocket and Newton practically sighed in relief and gave him the first real smile of the morning. It was as though some cord that had been providing tension down Newton’s spine had been cut and he relaxed almost unperceptively back into the chair.

            “You may stay as long as you’d like though we do still have some things we need to get done before we open officially. Once we’re done and open you can have Tendo make you a drink if you’d like before a line forms. We’ve been surprisingly busy the last few days.” Newton bit down on his bottom lip as he seemed to debate this option but his eyes dropped down to Hermann’s breast pocket as though he’d remembered the envelope a new. Whatever was inside apparently didn’t frighten him enough to turn down the offer though.

            “You’ll find that especially during these next few weekends. It’s the busiest time of the summer right now and then it will slow down before some of the fall festivals pop up. I have a little bit of time to kill so I may do that, the coffee here is great.”  

            The others were finishing up now as Tendo took stock of the pastries that would be held on to behind the counter for later if there was a need. They usually had a few things left over by the end of the day that would be offered at a slight discount first thing in the morning but they had worked out a general amount that seemed to fill their needs without leaving too much excess. Hermann had marveled at the fact that Alexys cooked the pastries each morning on top of what he cooked for their own small cupcake shop but the two Russians had insisted that they bring fresh pastries each morning to reflect the quality in their own place. Alexys placed the now empty trays in a neat stack on the cart they used to push them out to their car.

            “That would be Tendo’s doing more than mine but I’ll thank you for the compliment. He went through great pains to find someone local with the type of coffee that suits his tastes. I didn’t realize that the town held autumn festivals.” Newton nodded as he used a toe of his boot to pull another chair askew from a nearby table to rest his feet on. Hermann pursed his lips in disapproval as he got the cue that the Kaidonovsky’s were ready to leave.

            “Oh yeah, it’s sort of the last big push before winter sets in. We do a big one around the solstice but then there’s a few small sort of weekend things scattered here and there. The trees are amazing up here in the fall.” Hermann stood as Newton talked, the man’s eyes followed him the entire way even as Hermann pointedly walked between the chairs the Newton was occupying to force him into dropping his feet back down on the floor. He heard Newton give a slight snort of amusement as he got out of the way. When Hermann glanced back the man had put his feet right back up on the other chair and he felt a strain of annoyance in his chest.

            “We should be good. Call if there is need for more and I will bring you whatever you need,” Sasha said, handing the invoice to him without a thought. It had become clear that if it dealt with money or numbers Hermann was the one who handled it within the partnership. She leaned to press a chaste kiss to his cheek in farewell before Alexys threw an arm over his shoulders.

            “Wednesday night we shall have a grand time, Hermann. We will take you to our favorite place, good food and entertainment.” Hermann followed them, well, more that Hermann was escorted to the door by Alexys as he talked. He could let them out and relock the door behind them until they had gotten everything else set for the morning. “You should perhaps invite a friend if you would like.”

            “That is a wonderful idea, Alexys,” Sasha said with mock surprise. Hermann rolled his eyes as they reached the door. Alexys pulled him close to take his turn kissing Hermann on the cheek before he let go.

            “I’ll already be having dinner with friends, no sense on making it a crowd,” Hermann said bluntly and Alexys heaved an exaggerated sigh in disappoint as he took hold of the cart’s handle so he could maneuver it out the door onto the sidewalk. Their car sat parked near the curb, an old jeep that seemed practically military, with a back compartment where they stowed the trays of treats. Sasha followed him out though she lingered next to him to pat him gently on the cheek.

            “A crowd can be fun sometime, no?” She spoke in a matter-of-fact manner though there was enough suggestion there that Hermann felt a light flush of heat creep up along his neck. She grinned when she saw it and turned to help her husband get the trays into their vehicle with a small wave of her hand in farewell. Hermann closed the door behind the two of them, the store quiet except for the sound of idle conversation happening back by the café as he locked the door so no one wandered in. Well, that no one else wandered in at least. They really did need to make sure everything was ready including the registers even with their unexpected guest. He heard the steam wand kick on as he walked back towards the café, Tendo’s voice speaking over it for a second before he heard Newton respond.

            “Yeah I used to come up and just work summers when I could in the parks until my normal work got in the way. After a while I realized that this was more my style. I still get to teach kids shit about animals and nature but I don’t have to deal with all the bullshit. Plus, I get to deal with actual animals too with tracking and tallying herd totals and the like. We had a wolf pass through here a couple of years ago, just a lone one which is actually really unusual for them, but we were able to watch her progress since she’d been tagged. I caught a glimpse of her up past on the ridges but she’s gone back to where their territories usually cross now. I was hoping it meant they’d move into our area though that’d cause an uproar with some of the dumbasses who get all up in arms over an animal living in its own natural habit.”

            Hermann passed the bar where Tendo had just put the finishing touches on a latte all while listening closely though Hermann doubted the man had any real interest in the politics of animal versus human habitats. Instead of taking the drink to Newton, who still had his feet propped up on the other chair, he set it on the counter near Hermann with a look. He chose to deadpan back because, honestly, they were supposed to be working instead of entertaining guests but he picked up the mug either way and walked it over to their current visitor.

            “You can look around if you’d like but we have to get the registers opened so that we’re not late,” Hermann said as he handed the mug off. Newton nodded, apparently having no intention on suggesting he leave again, though there was a moment that he glanced towards the door. Hermann turned to head behind the counter of the café to the small safe. They kept two stocked drawers here for the morning opens but another safe up in the office held whatever else they hadn’t yet deposited at the bank. Tendo had already gotten the door combination entered and was waiting the few minutes that it took to open.

            “So, Newton, how’s life as a park ranger? Been doing anything exciting?” Tendo leaned over the counter to address their visitor. He did have a way of being able to slip into familiar conversation with people in a way that was effortless. Hermann could do the same, had many times, though it took far more concentration than it seemed to require of his friend. His tendency towards formality often made it felt stunted though it had been what had caused him to excel originally within academia.

            “Oh, it’s great dude. Spent all weekend teaching little ones about nature and animals. Some of them get really into it though their parents seem to think of us as babysitters sometimes. I’m off for the next couple of days and then it’s back out there though I’m going to be working in the backwoods; we’re trying to get a handle on what the elk population is this year in the park. If it gets to where they’re over populated come fall we have to plan for it and open up hunting options to make sure they don’t overrun the area and ruin the basic ecosystem. But for now I’m just doing the typical day off stuff, errands mostly.”

            “Oh to have a day off from work,” Tendo said wistfully as the safe alarmed that it was ready to be opened. He disappeared behind the counter to lift the drawers out for Hermann as Newton finally dropped his feet from the chair.

            “Once the season has passed and we have slowed we will plan some days for us to take off, Mr. Choi,” Hermann stated with patience. Though it was true, a day off would be a pleasant change but with the current workflow and the need to cover expenses and save up for the winter months they couldn’t afford to close during the busier season. “We should be able to close at least one if not two days a week once winter has set in.”

            “And then we’ll be snowed in and stuck sitting at home,” Tendo said regretfully as he set the two cash drawers on the counter. Hermann fussed at him until he moved out of the way so he could start counting to make sure they were even and ready.

            “You guys should hire a couple of people so you can take some days off. I can’t imagine just working all day every day. No wonder Hermann’s got that grumpy librarian vibe going on,” Newton said jokingly as he peered down through the opening in his lid. Hermann narrowed his eyes though he didn’t look away from his counting so that he didn’t lose track of where he was. Tendo laughed though, stepping around Hermann and out from behind the counter to take Newton’s cup away from him. “Oh, hey thanks.”

            “You want another one, brother?”

            “Nah, I had some coffee before I left home today and I’ve been told if I drink too much I get a little intense. I better at least wait a little while before I drink more.” On the word intense Newton had gestured with his hands like he was some B-rated horror movie villain popping out of the shadows. Newton, at last, dropped his feet from the chair to sit properly though then he stood which prompted Hermann to break his count. He cursed mentally when he realized he’d done so and knew he’d have to start again. “I should probably let you two work. Don’t want to make you late on opening up and I actually do have to get some stuff done this morning. Ah, let me know when you think those books will be in. I put my number down too for you.”

            “Of course, though you don’t have to rush off if you still have time to waste before your errands.” Newton gave him a wide grin but shook his head even as he lingered as he had the last time they’d been about to say goodbye.

            “I should actually get started on some of my errands. If I procrastinate too long I’ll end up not getting anything done and then find myself without food at home once work starts up and I’ll eat nothing but junk the rest of the week. Thanks for the coffee and letting me in though.” Hermann nodded as Tendo grabbed the keys off the counter where they’d been dropped.

            “No problem, my man, stop by whenever you want. We’re usually here early in the morning, well, Hermann’s here all the time but that’s because he literally lives at work.” Tendo moved to follow Newton to the door to let him out and Hermann glanced at his watch only to realize they were due to open a couple of minutes ago. He wished to tell Newton goodbye but the other two were already part way to the door and he needed to finish counting the last drawer now that he had to start again so he stayed. He pressed a hand against his shirt pocket though where the envelope with Newton’s list of book stayed tucked safely away.

 

            He held off on opening the list of books until after they were finished closing. He wanted time to go over it and see if there were any that immediate were recognizable and therefore easiest to get a hold of first. Tendo had said goodnight, both of them tired and weary from another busy day even if it was less hectic than the weekend had been. He sat now at the small dining table he’d gotten, a small thing that fit in the corner without taking up too much space, a cup of tea in front of him and left overs to eat as he pulled the adorned envelope from his pocket.

            He examined the miniature Godzilla once more with a shake of his head before he turned it in his hands to carefully break the adhesive seal. The top of the sheets of paper inside each had a kaiju of its own devouring the city; Mothra graced one of them with its presence while the other had that same Godzilla as the envelope. Mothra had a list of books running down along the page; an eclectic mix of nonfiction book based around biology with a few exceptions within the chemistry field and fiction that was heavy in what he could only guess was science fiction based on the titles.

            He did recognize some on the list in both categories either out of his own experience reading them or in passing during his own book buying experiences. He could start with those and then work through the rest of the list over time as had been suggested. The list was in column down both sides of the page but ended before the final line which made him frown in confusion at what the second page was for. He thought perhaps Newton had simply slipped two sheets of paper into the envelope on accident but as he turned the Mothra sheet over on the table he saw the Godzilla had the same messy scrawl upon it though it more of a letter format.

 

            _Hey Dr. Gottleib,_

            Hermann paused at the use of his title and smiled slightly as he took a sip of the cool tea. He wasn’t entirely certain if it was an attempt to make up for the jab that first day or a sarcastic joke over their spat but either way he couldn’t be bothered by it.

 

            _Just wanted to say thanks again for doing this when you really didn’t have to. Maybe you could expand your own field of expertise by reading some of those biology books yourself? You can always ask me questions if any of it seems to confusing. (I do honestly recommend Life on the Edge, quantum biology and an examination of whether life can truly be created from non-living material)._

_RE: Space vs. Ocean argument and the fusion of the two. Are we talking traversable wormholes? And; if so, would they allow interuniversal travel, true linear time travel (though time isn’t truly linear) or simply connect two points within our universe alone? I mean, are we talking Dr. Who, Stargate or The Time Machine here? Granted, none of those strictly stick to one type of travel as there’s a bit of each among them all._

_Also, we should totally maybe do dinner or lunch or something sometime? Would that be cool? I mean, we could just hang out and talk nerd for a while. Get you out of your natural habitat, ~~maybe I could show you mine?~~ Maybe I could take you into the park and show you around? _

_Here’s my number so you can let me know when the books are in and if you want to hang out sometime. (542-223-4445)_

_Thanks again,_

_Newt_

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so a few things:
> 
> The Chapter titles will likely all be titled from bits of poetry to fit the theme.
> 
> Every small mountain town in my mind is based off of Estes Park in Colorado. However, every forest in my mind is based off the rain forests on the Oregon Coast. Welcome to make believe smash them together-ville!
> 
> This will mainly be a fluff fic with some porny bits. There will be some angst I'm sure as I can't quite contain the angst but it won't be at the levels of some of my other fics. 
> 
> I'm really loving writing this so far. I'm gonna have fun. So far this will be a long standalone though I will likely branch it off into a series at some point. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!


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